The World Ayumi Only Knows
by xellos540
Summary: Second instalment and a direct sequel to The World Not Only God Knows. Ayumi have been given a second chance by fate and is now trying to conquer Keima. Will she succeed? Or will she lose against the iron will of the God of Conquest? And is any of this real in the first place? Post-manga. Full summary inside.
1. Flag 21: A whole new world

**Hello, everyone!**

 **Here is the first chapter of "The World Ayumi Only Knows" (or simply AyumiNomi), which is a direct sequel to my previous fanfiction "The World Not Only God Knows".**

 **We start with some author's notes that are _EXTREMELY_ important, so you really should read them! Here we go:  
**

 **1\. The sole purpose of this story is romance between Ayumi and Keima, so don't worry – there'll be romance. There probably will also be a lot of kicking, arguing etc., but there _will_ be romance.**

 **2\. This story _heavily_ relies on the events shown in The World Not Only God Knows, so you _really_ should read _all_ of it before reading this, otherwise you'll have no idea what's going on, why some characters are aware of others and why they're acting different than they usually do. Moreover, in general my author's notes from the prequel hold here as well.**

 **3\. This story, similarly to the previous one, is based on The World God Only Knows manga (which is slightly different and much longer than the anime) with some flexible interpretations to make things plausible. Thus, knowledge of the manga is recommended. Otherwise you won't be able to recognize some references and such... On the other hand, knowledge of the manga is practically a must for the prequel story, so it is also implied here.  
**

 **4\. I do not own the original story of The World God Only Knows.**

 **5\. At the moment of posting this chapter I have already prepared 8000 words (meaning a prolog and two full chapters) and additional 11000 words making fragments of further chapters...**

 **6\. ...despite this, the frequency of chapters will be around one per week for now.**

 **7\. I was seriously tempted to make this story M-rated, but I have decided against it for now.**

 **Okay, enough talking. Here's the short prolog. Enjoy!**

 **(* * *)**

Ayumi didn't know how much time had passed or if any amount of time had passed at all. All that she known was that she was aware of her own existence and that she wasn't aware of it moments before.

Was she dreaming?

Then slowly she started to remember things and after God only knows how long she knew where she was and why she was here.

Well... truth be told she knew where she was _supposed_ to be, but she had no idea where she _was_. Actually, she wasn't so sure she was at all anymore...

She was barely aware of her own existence and that's it. Like her mind have been floating through nothingness of space.

Maybe even time.

Then something occurred to her. When Vulcan had mentioned a lifetime, Ayumi had understood it meant something like "until death do us part", but now she realized she forgot to ask about one thing.

When exactly did this "lifetime" begin?

She assumed it was supposed to be "from this time forth", which would mean that Ayumi should enter the game and still be seventeen years old.

But... what if she hadn't been born yet?

Before she could fully grasp this concept her consciousness started to fade.

 _Wait, I don't want to disappear, I don't want to forget!_

(* * *)

Next thing she knew was that she could think again. So she truly faded away at least for a moment. She blinked, trying to get a grip on her confused mind when the realization hit it.

She had blinked.

That meant she had eyes. Moreover, when she blinked her vision darkened for a moment, so she truly could see something. The next instant she realized that, unlike the imperceptible colorless nothingness from before, the thing she was seeing had an actual color.

It was white.

White with a hint of gray.

Like a ceiling.

Similar to a computer system turning on one subsystem at a time, Ayumi suddenly realized she could, should and wanted to move. So she moved.

For the first time in what felt like forever she heard some sound as she sat up, though she didn't know she had been lying before. If she could hear normally then why haven't she heard her own breathing? As luck would have it she suddenly was all too aware of her own breaths. She was thinking. Breathing.

Living.

Her newly discovered ears proved useful, because she could hear her mother calling her from the first floor.

Mother. Second floor. Her bedroom. She was in her house.

Normally, she would just get out of the bed quickly, but this time she remained still, a few thoughts surfacing to the front of her clouded mind.

Maybe she just had a very elaborate, real and crazy dream.

Maybe something went wrong. Maybe even crazy wrong.

Maybe she was just crazy.

But if none of this things were true, then it would mean that she was now inside a completely new world. Similar, yet different.

Her mother called her once again and Ayumi found out she could speak when she answered, before putting her foot on the floor.

No use just staying here and thinking, she concluded. She might as well explore this new world.

 **(* * *)**

 **This chapter was briefly and adequately described by ZelgadisGW as "an attempt to write the phrase 'Ayumi woke up' in 542 words", highlighting my dreadful ability to lengthen everything. And I don't deny any of it xD.**

 **If you want to find out what awaits Ayumi in this new world then wait for the next chapter! Also don't hesitate to drop me a review (though there's not much to review for now).**

 **See you next time!**


	2. Flag 22: First steps

**Hello, everyone!**

 **I'm back, as promised, with the second chapter of AyumiNomi!**

 **First, I would like to thanks for all the support you've given me so far, including constructive criticism. Thanks to it this chapter was re-written, to better explain some important things.**

 **Good news: I have, more or less, done chapters from Flag 23 to Flag 26.**

 **Bad news: after that I have only a few fragments with total size of a single chapter... and those fragments are supposed to take place later.**

 **Actually, the story seems to take more words than I anticipated... but part of this is because this is the first story after The World Not Only God Knows and that means Ayumi might be as confused and distrustful as some of my readers... thus... I will use the next 2 or 3 chapters to establish some things. Thus, the romance will be building slowly. Just be patient.**

 **I also hope all readers are already acquainted with The World Not Only God Knows – I really can't recommend reading this story if you haven't read the prequel yet. You've been warned.  
**

 **I also hope this chapter will solve some misunderstandings... I won't deny that the explanation might be difficult (no-one said that magic and space-time continuum were easy concepts, right?). Moreover, it won't solve _all_ misunderstandings simple because there are some things that are not going to be revealed yet.**

 **Okay, enough said!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(* * *)**

Seeing Ayumi walk to school instead of running wasn't exactly common occurrence, but as unlikely as it was, it was happening right now.

Her morning had been fairly normal so far, except for two issues. First, Ayumi was supposed to be in a different world or something like that right now, so she was constantly on edge, as if she had been expecting the world to suddenly shatter or something. It wasn't even paranoid – after all she once watched the world simply disappear before her very own eyes.

However, so far nothing like that happened, so the first issue was completely abstract for now... but the second issue was more much more real, because Ayumi was unable to contact Mercury at all. Granted, it wasn't exactly something new, since Mercury refused to talk to Ayumi before. But back then it was because the goddess sensed danger and that wasn't a good omen now.

On the other hand, this could simply mean that Mercury was asleep or busy. But what if she wasn't? What if... what if Mercury wasn't responding because she didn't exist? What if all those things didn't happen? The hell... the goddesses... Keima. What if it was all just a dream? I mean, Keima would be still there, but what if he has never conquered her?

On one hand it was absurd – she couldn't fall in love with a dream, right? On the other hand though...

(* * *)

All of that thinking made Ayumi sigh in relief when she saw that the school was still where it was supposed to be. She traveled through the hallways and finally stood in front of the 2-B classroom. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

And immediately felt better.

"Oh, it's Ayumi! Morning!" Chihiro said. Eri was standing next to her and greeted her as well. Miyako was just now talking with one of their other classmates.

And Keima was sitting in his usual place. He was currently clicking through one his games. He didn't react to Ayumi's entrance, but this time he had (almost) valid excuse – he was using this strange goggle-like virtual device which also shielded his vision and hearing from the outside world.

"Morning" Ayumi replied before sitting down on her seat.

"Are you alright?" Chihiro asked.

"Yes. Why?"

"You look a little... off" Chihiro replied vaguely.

"I had... umm... a vivid dream."

"A nightmare?" Chihiro guessed and Ayumi shook her head... only to see her best friend grin. "So _that_ kind of a dream then, huh?" Chihiro said and gave Ayumi a nudge and a naughty smile.

"It's not like that!" Ayumi almost shouted.

"Well, the volume of your voice and your red face tell a different story."

Maybe Ayumi was inside a dream or some illusionary world, but the embarrassment she was feeling right now was real beyond questioning. She averted her gaze... only to see that Keima lifted the goggles from his face and was now observing the scene with his usual calm expression. Then his eyes landed on Ayumi and the girl was certain her face was even redder now.

"Okay, back in your seats!" Nikaidō said as she entered the room. "The homeroom is about to begin."

Ayumi then smiled. Maybe she wasn't in a different world, but at least she now knew that the thing with the hell and heaven wasn't just her imagination. Because before Nikaidō-sensei could walk up to the blackboard, Keima got rid of all his consoles and looked ahead of him, almost like he was truly interested in the homeroom.

(* * *)

Ayumi leaned on the railing and sighed. For the entire school day she was unable to talk privately with Keima, Chihiro or Eri. Mainly because of Miyako. She sighed again. Miyako was a really nice girl, one of the very few that never picked on Keima, but she really was a master of interruption. Ayumi then remembered when Miyako was asking Keima about his relationship with Kanon on their way to Inazumart and she chuckled at the irony. Well, now she could understand Keima's frustration a bit as well.

After the band practice ended and Miyako interrupted yet again, suggesting they all hang out after school, Ayumi lost all her will and decided not to tag along. She was wandering around, not really thinking where she was going and thus she had no idea how she had ended up here: in the Maijima Seaside Park, practically in front of Akanemaru. Perhaps it were her memories and feelings about this place that drew her here. Or maybe there was even more to this place than she realized.

Even though the place was popular and the view was quite nice no-one was here at this hour. Thus, Ayumi stayed like that for a few minutes, not really thinking about anything, just staring blankly at the sea... until the surface of the water below her started to shine.

"Ayumi..."

"Mel!" the runner exclaimed when she saw familiar face of her goddess, making her almost want to jump into the cold sea and hug her. "Where have you been? I was worried."

"I know" Mercury replied, looking truly sorry. "But I was busy checking some things."

"Checking things?"

"Yes... as you know Vul-neesama asked me for help in creating the orb. Thus, there was a couple of things I wanted to check in this world to verify if everything went fine."

"So it wasn't a dream after all!?" Ayumi said trying to get as close to the sea surface as possible. If someone were to see her right now, that someone would certainly think Ayumi had a screw loose.

"No, it's not, Ayumi. I remember everything as well. And we certainly were successfully phased by the orb."

Ayumi didn't know what Mercury meant by "phased", but she wasn't going to ask. She had a different question instead. "So... how is it? Did everything went well?"

"I think so" the goddess replied. "Actually, it went too well."

"What do you mean?"

"This isn't a textbook example, but it still is a variation of teleportation magic" the goddess said. "It's my area of expertise, so I should be able to detect and check some things. So, I have been trying to find something. The trail of the spell. Spatial ripples. Something. But I wasn't able to find anything."

"Uh... isn't this kind of... bad?" Ayumi asked.

"Not necessarily" Mel responded. "It means either that nothing worked, which is unlikely since you woke up in your bed... or that everything worked perfectly. So perfectly that I wouldn't know about it if I wasn't informed about it beforehand."

"So..." Ayumi had some trouble wording the next question. "We're inside... an illusion now?"

"I don't think this is an illusion or a dream" Mercury said, her voice monotone and detached as usual. "I think this is real. Actually, I think this is as real as it gets."

"Wait... but you said it succeeded" Ayumi replied. "If this is real then nothing changed, right?"

Mercury shook her head slowly.

"You're thinking about it the wrong way Ayumi" she told her. "You're thinking only about what you know. Only about your original reality."

"Original reality?"

"What I mean is that this is reality. A 100% genuine reality" the goddess explained. "It's just not _yours_ reality."

Ayumi remained silent for a moment. "I don't get it" she finally said.

Mercury only sighed. This is going to be complicated.

"Remember when Katsuragi went to the past?" the goddess started and Ayumi nodded. "He wasn't sent to change the past, but to _create_ the future. You know how do you create a future?"

"By making a different choice?" Ayumi guessed, but with little certainty.

"Yes" Mercury admitted. "But, many possible choices mean many possible futures and thus many possible realities. Those realities are parallel and separate. At least normally. And here is where the orb came into play."

Ayumi nodded for the goddess to continue.

"What happened to you is, for the most part, similar to what happened to Katsuragi back then. The orb locked onto another reality. This reality had a different you. Different Ayumi. From your perspective she didn't exist and from her perspective you didn't exist" Mercury paused for a moment, ensuring that Ayumi was following her, before continuing. "Then the orb did what it did to Katsuragi: your minds swapped places. Ayumi from this reality took your place in your reality and is probably sleeping."

"A different reality" Ayumi repeated and Mercury stayed quiet, letting the girl process this information. "But back then we were talking about an illusion..."

Mercury sighed.

"No" she said simply. "Vul-neesama never once mentioned the word 'illusion'. Or 'dream' for that matter" she told her. "It was my other sisters and other girls that assumed so. Well... honestly I wasn't _exactly_ sure what Vul-neesama meant back then either, so I just waited for her to explain."

"And she didn't explain it!" Ayumi exclaimed. "She never once mentioned it's a different reality!"

"Maybe she used the wrong words" the goddess wondered in a bored tone. "Or maybe she was testing all of you. Checking if you were going to go through with it. Or maybe..." she locked eyes with Ayumi. "Maybe you should've listened to the end instead of grabbing the orb and making a run for it."

The goddess' voice wasn't accusing or anything, but Ayumi still felt like an idiot.

"Still, the me from this world had her time taken from her!" she exclaimed. She then blinked when she saw Mercury smile. Mercury never smiled.

"You humans never cease to amaze me" the goddess said, her voice less detached than usual and full of... mirth? "Your way of thinking is so simple. You always have to choose. Left or right. Right or wrong. Hot. Cold. My reality... Her reality... You're incapable of realizing that certain things can be both at the same time. Take the realities for example. On one hand they're completely separate. When you and the other Ayumi swapped minds the two of you never really met. And you never will. Not even for an instant... As I said – from your perspective then other Ayumi never existed in the first place."

"On the other hand" the goddess resumed after a moment. "This reality exists only because of you, because you've made the choice to use the orb. This is now _your_ reality. And it doesn't really matter whether it's this reality or that reality. Ayumi is still Ayumi. You aren't stealing the other Ayumi's time, because you can only steal from others. You cannot steal from yourself. It's that simple."

Ayumi could get annoyed if someone claimed that she was stupid, but this time she might've really bitten off more than she could chew.

"Dreams, time, space. They are all ambiguous things" Mercury continued, returning to her previous monotone voice. "This is why almost no-one in existence is able to do things like this. And even if they are, they're almost never do such things. Because things like that are incomprehensible without a proper context. They're vague. Relative. For example, you're all very quick to say things like 'up until now everything was real and what happens from now on is an illusion'. However, this is indistinguishable from saying 'all until now was an illusion and from now it's real'. Strange, isn't it?"

Up to this point Ayumi had considered the two of them as, more or less, companions. Friends. Equals. Ayumi gave Mercury a body to live in, made her stronger with her affection. The goddess was a quiet advisor that just so happened to be capable of flight and some magic. But right know Ayumi realized why she was called a human and Mercury was called a _goddess_.

"Anything else you want to say, before my mind explodes?" Ayumi asked.

"Certainly" Mercury replied with a slight smile. "Vul-neesama said something about 'adjustments' and 'defensive mechanisms'... From what I gather, this simply means that the orb was programmed to seek for a specific reality. Of course, realities are made by choices and choices are limited, so it's not like you can conjure any reality you want. In the end, the orb choose this reality and it did so for a reason. And I can guess what kind of reality it is."

"I'm all ears."

"In this reality Katsuragi probably didn't choose any girl and no girl is trying to aggressively pursue him. At least at the moment. This creates a delicate meta-stable state. Or at least it was stable until the moment you came here. Now you're probably the only girl that is different from the others."

"I think I get the gist of it" Ayumi said after a moment. "You're really amazing for figuring out all of this, Mel."

"Actually... I didn't figure out _all_ of this" the goddess admitted.

"What do you mean?"

"Well... I certainly know why you had to touch the orb. It was to transfer your mind here... but I still don't understand why it was necessary for Katsuragi to touch it as well... I don't know what was wrong about Katsuragi from here to need him to swap minds as well."

There were other issues too, Mercury thought to herself. The most important being: what would happen to Ayumi once she was back to her original reality? Mercury knew a lot of things could go really wrong if things were left unchecked. But she wasn't worried. Vul-neesama wasn't as smart as Diana, but she was a genius in her own right. She was very methodical and thorough. If the orb was meant to work for Tsukiyo, then Vul-neesama had taken care of everything. So, Mercury knew there was an answer... she just couldn't see it now.

"So you're not really sure whether it went as expected?" Ayumi asked.

"How about you just check it for yourself?" the goddess suggested.

"And how do I do that?".

"Simple. Just talk to another one of my sister's hosts" Mercury told her. "If they remember trying to send you here, then something went wrong. And you should also talk to Chihiro-san and some of the other girls. That way you'll be able to check how they feel about Katsuragi. And you should talk with Katsuragi as well."

"I see..." Ayumi looked down at her feet.

"I may not look like it, but I have used a lot of spells today and I would like to get to sleep for now" Mercury said. "But before I go, I will give you a word of advice. If you want it of course."

"I'm listening."

"Don't rush things" Mercury advised, her voice serious. "Don't be too obvious for now. Let him get used to you. Remember, this is your reality now and you have all the time in the world, so to speak."

"I get it" Ayumi said before looking up. "Thank you, Mel. You're the best."

"Glad to help whenever I can" Mercury replied with closed eyes. One flash later she was already gone.

(* * *)

At the beginning it felt really weird to have running practice. After all, from the perspective of the world outside the orb the practice didn't happen at all. However, Ayumi went on with it, true to the advice given by her goddess – treat all this as a normal part of her normal life. So she changed into her running clothes, talked with her friends and ran as usual. And Mercury's observation was true for Ayumi as well – so far everything seemed normal.

Well, almost... because when she was back home she realized that it was November the 24th, so the same day on which she had touched the orb. The problem was that she had touched it in the evening, yet she had woken up in the morning, so it was like she had traveled some 10 hours into the past. Just like when Vulcan had showed them the "demonstration" orb.

However, during the demonstration Ayumi hadn't been aware she had been sent to another world, but this time she was.

Like a player that knows when he or she turns on a game, huh?

This made her think about something else. Was Keima aware that he had been sent here? It wasn't unreasonable to think that – Keima seemed normal today, but Ayumi knew he was very skillful at hiding things.

Anyway, for now she should do what Mercury suggested and check some things. The question was who should she talk to? Yui? No, the drummer would probably be no different from her "real" counterpart, so asking her made little sense. Kanon? But the idol rarely came to school and Ayumi certainly didn't want to talk via e-mails.

And then it dawned on her.

This small astronomy club girl... what was her name? Tsukiyo Kujō. Not only was she a goddess host from her school, but her goddess was Vulcan, so talking to her was probably the best choice.

"I'm going out for a while" Ayumi said to her mother before leaving the house.

(* * *)

Like most high schoolers Ayumi wasn't all that fond of school. Of course, she enjoyed running and practicing on her guitar and she knew that education was important. But still, the school could be a real pain and once she was out she was very unlikely to return to the school grounds on the same day.

But this time it was different. It was late afternoon. And it was the second half of November. Meaning it was getting dark quickly. And the sky was fairly cloudless, suitable for star-gazing. In other words, there was a fairly good chance that she will be able to find the person she was looking for. And she was right, for when she finally reached the rooftop she quickly saw a small figure sitting on a bench, face practically glued to a telescope.

Running to school was easy, nice even. But here was the more troublesome part, because so far Ayumi hadn't been really hanging out with any of Keima's... conquests besides Yui and Chihiro. And maybe Kanon.

I mean yes, Ayumi had met the other goddesses hosts more than once and she had been with a dozen of girls when they had cornered Keima on that railway station, but back then she had been addressing people as a part of a group. It felt less personal. Now Ayumi had to talk with a specific girl and basically ask her whether it was okay to go after a boy this girl used to have feelings for (or still had them).

For a moment Ayumi wondered how to proceed here, but too much thinking wasn't her style. So she just went with her usual straightforward approach.

"Um... good evening, Kujō-san."

She didn't say it loudly or anything, but the small girl on the bench practically jumped and almost knocked over her telescope, before turning to Ayumi with wide eyes. Well... that wasn't the best start.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you" Ayumi said.

"Takahara-san?" the moon-lover asked when she finally made out Ayumi's face in the semi-darkness. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk" Ayumi admitted honestly. "Can I sit down?"

"Yes" Tsukiyo replied after a moment.

Ayumi sat down on the other end of the bench. She noticed that the blond girl was wearing warm clothes, but still it was quite cold and in open space winds were stronger than on the streets. How this girl could just sit here and actually _enjoy_ watching the sky at a time like this was beyond Ayumi's comprehension.

"Um... would you like some tea?" Tsukiyo asked, obviously playing the role of a good hostess.

"Yes, please" Ayumi replied as politely as she could.

Tsukiyo reached for her thermos and soon enough tea was served on a small stool. Ayumi reached for her cup and took a sip.

"It's good" she said, thankful that she didn't have to lie, as it was really good. And could keep you warm.

"Umm... thank you" Tsukiyo responded softly.

They stayed like this for a few moments. Ayumi didn't really know what to say next, but she had to do so fast. She didn't want to waste Tsukiyo's time after all.

"So... what did you want to talk about?" the blond girl asked nonchalantly.

"Um..." Ayumi decided on a direct approach. "It's about Katsuragi..."

The way Tsukiyo's cup froze for a brief moment was almost imperceptible.

"About Keima?" she asked, her voice becoming just a little bit colder. "What did that ungraceful man with no sense of beauty do this time?"

"He didn't really do anything" Ayumi said and wondered for a moment before deciding to mention something. "When you say 'man with no sense of beauty' you mean that one game of his?"

Tsukiyo nodded slightly.

"You are aware that he liked that... heroine for her personality, right? He thought her art was poor as well."

"That doesn't change much, a lot about Keima is not beautiful at all" Tsukiyo then looked away. "But... I admit that even he can look... pleasing to the eye when he tries..."

Ayumi didn't respond. Usually she wouldn't describe Keima as particularly attractive (especially when he was scowling and yapping about his games), but on the other hand she couldn't deny the way he looked like without his glasses back when he was cheering for her. His smile, his gaze... No, she wasn't going to think about that. She was enough in love with him as it was.

"Anyway..." Ayumi started slowly, carefully choosing her words. "I don't want to sound nosy... but I wanted to ask what are you planning to do about him."

Tsukiyo remained unmoving for a moment.

"I thought you've given up on him" Tsukiyo responded. And it wasn't a question.

"Honestly, I'm not certain about anything at this point" Ayumi admitted. It wasn't even a lie. "But I don't want my first love to end like this..."

"Are you asking for my permission?" Tsukiyo asked and as much as Ayumi tried she wasn't able to decipher her voice.

"It's not like that... I just wanted to know your opinion and... yeah... it's a bit like that" Ayumi replied, hoping the other girl wouldn't notice her blush in the gloom.

"I cannot say I recommend you trying to do anything with that man" Tsukiyo put her cup down. "But if you really want to do it, you don't have to worry about me."

Ayumi was about to say something, but another voice interrupted her.

"Tsukiyo!" the doll who was up to this point sitting motionless on the bench suddenly sprung to life and was floating in front of Tsukiyo. "How can you say that!? You have to make Katsuragi yours without fail!" the doll said with urgency.

"You must really stop pressuring me like that, it is not beautiful!" Tsukiyo responded, her face wry from annoyance.

"You do realize the restoration of my powers depends on your love?" the doll asked.

"But it doesn't have to be Keima" Tsukiyo refilled her cup before taking a sip. "We may find someone else and then Keima _will_ help me get my... ugh... ending. I assure you."

"So, have you given up, after all?" Ayumi asked, startling both the star-gazer and her doll. "On Katsuragi, I mean?"

Tsukiyo immediately blushed. "I haven't given up" she started. "It's just... I thought about it and realized I've already done enough on my end... if Keima wants to be with me then he has to show me his resolution. I'm not going to go after him like a lovesick girl! Not with all those other girls around! As I told before: I will accept his decision."

Ayumi thought about it for a moment. She tried to confront this Tsukiyo with the one from her memories and decide which one was more real: the one refusing to make the first step or the one who wanted to have a "fair match", but she found out she couldn't decide. Both Tsukiyos behaved as well... Tsukiyo. For a moment Ayumi couldn't understand how such a thing was possible. And then something occurred to her. Something she had seen in Keima's memories she had received. She focused, trying to remember the exact words.

 _But it couldn't really be zero. There must be some future where they were saved._

And then she understood what Mercury meant before. Tsukiyo that was sitting next to her wasn't fake. This Tsukiyo had the same past as the real one – the past where Keima had saved her from falling to her death. What was different was the future. This Tsukiyo just had a different future ahead of her.

In other words, Ayumi had the chance to experience this future even though it won't connect to her own past in the end. It meant that this world was really a reality game tailored just for her. A world where Ayumi chance to be with Keima wasn't zero.

If she played this game right, of course...

Anyway, there was one more thing she needed to know.

"If it's like that then I guess you won't be interfering as well, right, Vulcan-san?" Ayumi asked nonchalantly. "Like using some spells, magic devices or something like that?"

The doll floated for a moment in silence.

"Hoo... You're more clever than I thought Takahara-san" the goddess replied. "I was thinking of making some kind of device, but Tsukiyo... disapproved."

"Of course, I did!" the blond said with a haughty expression. "What you suggested would make Keima practically a slave!"

"He made a move on you, he fooled you and he cheated on you!" Vulcan responded. "What's wrong with having him provide for you for the rest of his life? He should be happy such a beautiful girl wanted to be with him!"

"Must be tough" Ayumi said indistinctly, hoping that Vulcan's hearing was poor enough that she won't hear it. So in this world Vulcan didn't create the second orb. At least not in that form. Ayumi then sighed.

"Can I watch the moon with you?"

This was the first remark that seemed to genuinely surprise Tsukiyo.

"Do you really mean it?" she asked.

"Of course. Since I'm here I might as well try this thing and find out if it's as good as you say it is."

In the end Ayumi wasn't able to understand what Tsukiyo saw in all this star-gazing, but it wasn't half as bad as she had expected. And that was the first time she saw the smaller girl smile.

 **(* * *)**

 **Okay, I hope things are a little clearer after this chapter (courtesy of Mercury).  
**

 **As always I encourage you to follov/fav the story and drop me a review.**

 **Next chapter is planned to be posted in a week (next Thursday), so stay tuned!**

 **See you next time!**

 **(* * *)**

 **I also decided to continue our tradition of Po** **kémon-themed omakes (let's call them Pok** ** **é** Nomi, shall we?), but we have a lot of chapters ahead of us, so I won't be posting them every chapter. This time the omake is for Tsukiyo's conquest. Enjoy!  
**

 **Keima used One Leaf. Keima discovered Yokkyun!**

 **Yokkyun used Attract. Keima is infuated with Yokkyun!**

 **Wild moon-lover conquest target Tsukiyo appears!**

 **Tsukiyo used Chatter. Keima turned away!**

 **Keima used Stomp. Tsukiyo's attack rose! Tsukiyo used Double Slap. Hit one time. Critical hit!**

 **Tsukiyo used Magic Room. Tsukiyo created her own private world.**

 **Tsukiyo used Sheer Cold. Tsukiyo used Taunt. Keima used Rage. Keima's attack rose!**

 **Keima sent out Yokkyun! Yokkyun used Happy Hour. It's not very effective.**

 **Tsukiyo used Happy Hour. Keima's defense fell!**

 **Elsie appears!**

 **Doro! Doro! Doro!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Elsie sent out Keima! Keima won't obey!**

 **Elsie used Curse. Elsie made Curry!**

 **Nothing happened.**

 **(* * *)**

 **Tsukiyo used Moonlight. Tsukiyo's defense rose!**

 **Loose Soul used Minimize. Huh? Tsukiyo shrunk into a doll!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Elsie used Detect. Doro! Doro! Doro!**

 **Keima used Eavesdropping. Elsie used Fairy Unlock.**

 **Tsukiyo is confused! Tsukiyo's defense fell!**

 **Keima is pretending to be confused! Tsukiyo used Calm Mind. Tsukiyo's defense rose!**

 **Tsukiyo tried to get away safely. But it failed!**

 **Keima used Helping Hand. It's not very effective.**

 **Keima used Doll Clothes. Keima used Helping Hand.**

 **Random students appear! Random students used Insult.**

 **(* * *)**

 **Tsukiyo used Assist. Keima is now holding Tsukiyo!**

 **Tsukiyo used Telescope. Tsukiyo used Wish. Tsukiyo wants to live on the Moon.**

 **Keima used Rage. Keima sent out Yokkyun again! Tsukiyo used Happy Hour. Keima is depressed!**

 **Beep! Beep! Beep! Parents are calling. Tsukiyo pretended not to notice. Tsukiyo used Fling (with her phone).**

 **(* * *)**

 **Elsie used Rage. Keima used Apology. Elsie used Curse. Nothing happened.**

 **Keima used Assist. Elsie is now helping Keima!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Tsukiyo woke up.**

 **Keima appears. Keima used Breakfast. It's super effective!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Elsie used Substitute. It's super effective! Elsie creates Tsukiyo robe doll.**

 **Elsie used Substitute. It's not very effective. Elsie creates Keima and Elsie robe dolls.**

 **(* * *)**

 **Tsukiyo used Milk. Tsukiyo used Soak. Tsukiyo is having a milk bath!**

 **Keima and Elsie used Chatter.**

 **Tsukiyo is confused. Tsukiyo's defense rose.**

 **Tsukiyo used Dress Up. Huh? The clothes are shrinking!**

 **Tsukiyo is confused! Tsukiyo's defense fell! Tsukiyo called for Luna!**

 **Luna used Mean Look. Tsukiyo's defense fell! Tsukiyo is confused! Tsukiyo called for Keima in her confusion!**

 **Keima used Calm Mind. Tsukiyo is confused no more! Tsukiyo's defense rose!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Keima and Elsie used Chatter. Keima used Nasty Plot.**

 **Tsukiyo used Eavesdropping. Tsukiyo learned of Keima's plan! Tsukiyo got away safely!**

 **(* * *)**

 **? ? ? appears. ? ? ? used Scary Face. Tsukiyo used Screech.**

 **Keima used Pursuit. ? ? ? transforms into Cute Kitten.**

 **(* * *)**

 **Tsukiyo is confused.**

 **Tsukiyo used Rage. Tsukiyo's attack rose! Tsukiyo used Screech. Tsukiyo is confused!**

 **Keima used Pursuit. Keima found Tsukiyo on the rooftop.**

 **Keima used Chatter. Tsukiyo is confused! She fell off the rooftop in her confusion!**

 **Keima used Final Gambit. Keima used Arm Thrust. Tsukiyo was caught!**

 **Keima used Chatter. Tsukiyo used Apology.**

 **Keima used Midair Kiss. Keima and Tsukiyo used Moonlight.**

 **The loose soul frog appears! Elsie used Fly. Elsie used Wrap. Tsukiyo and Keima were saved!**

 **Elsie used Imprison. Loose soul in custody!**


	3. Flag 23: Resolution

**Hello, everyone! Here's the third chapter of AyumiNomi!**

 **This time we have another "introductory" chapter, so just bear with it. Personally, I find parts like this pretty entertaining as well, but that's me :)**

 **As usual I want to thank all readers for their support and I ask for your patience – the story and the romance might proceed slower than all of us (me included) would have liked, but I'm unable to write faster. And if I post more frequently than one chapter per week, then I'll run out of chapters to post. Trust me, I will.**

 **I also have a feeling this story will be longer than I anticipated ("as per freakin' usual")... that's both good and bad.**

 **And a reply to DPSS' review: yes, I'm fully aware it doesn't explain that part, but I took it into consideration, I assure you. I'm just not going to reveal what I'm going to do about it any time soon. :)**

 **And one more important announcement (more like an idea I got moments ago). I've noticed that the KamiNomi fanfictions activity on the site increased lately and discussions have spiked. However, reviews and PMs are not always a good places to have such discussions. Incidentally, the site has only two forums (communities) pertaining to KamiNomi... so what about creating a new community? I would like to hear your opinions about this – if you think it would be useful to have such a community then tell me via PM or in a review.**

 **Okay, enough talking. Here we go!**

 **(* * *)**

"Alright! Now that was something nice! Great jobs guys!" Chihiro pumped her fist in the air excitedly, with a huge grin on her face. "Tomorrow we will try to get even better!"

"This was supposed to be nothing more than a hobby, you know?" Miyako reminded her, but she was smiling as well.

"Yeah, are you perhaps planning to turn us into a real band?" Ayumi asked, her guitar in her hands.

"To be a famous girls band, that would be nice" Eri started to daydream. "We could perform songs for Kanon-chan!"

"Or compete with her!" Chihiro exclaimed.

"You do know we're still just amateurs, right?" Miyako noticed. "And that me and Ayumi have track and field practice as well?"

"It's alright, we'll manage" Chihiro ignored the keyboardist. "Right, Yui?"

"Of course!" the cross-dressing girl replied, absent-mindedly beating the drum.

Ayumi had to stop herself from chuckling. What a strange band it was. They had the most normal girl as the leader, a cross-dressing celebrity as the drummer, a formed devil superweapon as a bassist, a master of interruptions as keyboardist. And goddess host as a guitarist. They could be really famous if they exposed all their secrets, but that obviously wasn't going to happen.

"Anyway, it's already dark outside, so I think we should end for today" Miyako suggested.

"Yeah... Or else Yui's mom going to barge in here and drag her home!" Chihiro joked.

"Hey! It's not funny!" Yui replied, seemingly meek for once.

"Maybe for you it isn't!" Chihiro started to laugh and Ayumi, Eri and Miyako quickly followed.

(* * *)

"See you tomorrow guys!" Miyako said, waving her hand.

"Goodbye!" Eri responded, waving as well.

Yui by this time was are already busy trying to convince her family butler Okamoto that he didn't need to drive her home.

"So... you wanna come over?" Chihiro asked when they started walking.

"Sure" Ayumi replied. She was going to suggest it anyway.

(* * *)

Hanging out together felt like it always had with both of them exchanging gossip, complaining about studying and Chihiro raving about new shops and whatnot. It was really nice, but Ayumi knew they had to talk about Keima, even if she was anxious to start this particular topic.

"Umm... Chihiro" she started.

"Yeah?" the other girl replied absent-mindedly while browsing through various TV channels.

"I have been wondering... how are things... between you and Katsuragi?"

The current TV channel was some really crappy evening anime show for kids, but Chihiro didn't change it, her hand with remote frozen in place.

"Chihiro?" Ayumi tried, not so sure about this idea anymore. "Um... I'm sorry, if you don't want to talk about it-"

"You don't have to be sorry" Chihiro responded, leaning back. "And it's not like I don't want to talk about it... it's just... there's not much to talk about."

"What do you mean?" Ayumi asked. "You guys fought or something?"

"It's not like that" Chihiro was back to browsing the TV, but she didn't look like she was aware of it. "Actually, we kind of reconciled."

"It's good then, right?"

"Yes, it's good, but not the kind of good you're thinking about..."

"I don't understand..."

Chihiro sighed.

"You know how it was before, right?" she started. "Me picking on him, he picking on me. The misunderstanding with Yui and the whole body swap thing. It wasn't good back then. I thought Katsuragi was making fun of me and that he disliked me. Even more that he disliked the world."

"Go on" Ayumi told her after a moment of silence.

"Back then I already knew I had feelings for him and I couldn't really _stand_ it" Chihiro grimaced. "Couldn't stand other people _learning_ about it. That's why I've never told you about it" Ayumi nodded at that.

"It was pretty much the same for me as well" she admitted.

"And then came the Mai High festival" Chihiro continued. "Katsuragi thought I had a goddess and was nice to me. In return my feelings grew and then I was rejected" she sighed. "I was left with a broken heart and I thought that Katsuragi was just scum that had played with my feelings. When he was... conquering you I learned that I had misjudged him, but it didn't help much. In result we weren't enemies, but we weren't friends either. I don't know what we were back then... "

Ayumi waited patiently, certain that it wasn't all. And she was right.

"And then I received the memories. I learned more about Katsuragi, his hardships and why he did all that. And I was no longer angry with him" a light blush adorned her cheeks. "After all, he helped me with my problems. Thanks to him I started my band. Bah! Even getting Yui as a drummer was thanks to him! That's why I said we reconciled. Now, we're no longer just classmates that hate each other's guts. Now we are friends... kind of."

"But?" Ayumi said after a moment of silence.

"But that's it" Chihiro said. "It's ironic... before all this me and him were enemies. He was my enemy... and I've fallen in love with him. Then... things happened. And now... Now we're friends... but I no longer feel what I felt back then..."

"You're kidding me, right?" Ayumi asked after a longer moment.

"No, I'm not" Chihiro replied, her face uncharacteristically serious. "I know that I was in love with him, but I had my heart broken."

"Katsuragi didn't have a choice!" Ayumi never thought she would try to rationalize Keima dumping her best friend. "Are you worried he will do it again?"

"Not really... It's just that I... lost interest. I don't find him as... attractive as I did before... which is ironic considering I recently learned he's a much better person that I thought he was..."

"You mean you fell... out of love with him?" Ayumi was dumbfounded.

"Yup... that's pretty much it" Chihiro admitted and then chuckled. "As absurd as it sounds, he probably likes me more now than I like him."

Ayumi knew she shouldn't encourage Chihiro, but she needed to be certain.

"Then why don't you just... try?"

Chihiro groaned. "I just don't feel like it" she replied in a whiny, yet cheerful voice Ayumi knew like the back of her hand. "Just because he saved the world doesn't change the fact that he's still nerdy and snarky" Chihiro shook her head. "Without those feelings for him, I'm no longer motivated to go after him, to fight the obstacles. I thought I will be, but I'm not. And like that it makes little sense for him to be with me as well. I don't have enough will to pull him into the real world or stop him from pulling me into his world."

Ayumi nodded. So in this reality Chihiro decided to move on, just like Ayumi decided to move on in her original reality. Before she could ponder some more she felt the sensation of being watched and turned to see Chihiro looking at her suspiciously.

"Wh-what?" Ayumi asked in an attempt to defend herself. A fruitless attempt.

"You know exactly what" Chihiro pointed a hand with remote at Ayumi, making her experience a feeling of _deja vu_. "You asked about me and Katsuragi for a reason, didn't you?"

"Ugh" Ayumi leaned back. Should she lie? Probably not, but telling the truth wasn't exactly tempting either.

"You can't fool me Ayumi. I know you have feelings for him" Chihiro said, before furrowing her brow. "But I thought you moved on as well."

"W-well... I planned to... I didn't want and couldn't compete with you" Ayumi admitted, fully aware that her face must be all red. Wow, blushing in front of another girl and best friend at that. That something new. "But, unlike you, I didn't... ugh... lose interest..."

Chihiro sighed. "Well, it's not like I didn't expect this... actually the moment I realized you had feelings for him too I was certain that he would choose you" she said. "Of course that was before I learned about... things."

Ayumi didn't reply. She could still remember the guilt she had felt during the festival. Back then she had decided to support Chihiro, but she had been only lying to both her and herself. And she had lied to Keima as well.

"Ayumi..." Chihiro said, snapping the runner back to reality. "You don't have to worry about me anymore... buut" Chihiro raised her finger in front of Ayumi as if in warning. "Are you sure that you should be doing this? You know how he is. I don't want to sound conceited" she looked away. "But I think I was the only real girl he cared for like that. Ever."

Ayumi looked at her lap. "I know" she said. "And I'm not saying I'm certain that I will succeed" she said before looking up, her expression determined. "But I'll not give up without a fight! I won't!"

"Easy, easy! I believe you" Chihiro raised her hands in defense, when Ayumi got too close for her liking. "And I'm not going to stop you... not without a good reason. I just want you to be careful when it comes to him. He's a sly one."

"Yeah" Ayumi responded. She was well aware of that.

"Just to be clear" Chihiro said. "You can count on me. You have my full support."

"Umm... thanks" Ayumi replied, though the last thing she wanted was to needlessly involve Chihiro.

"And if Katsuragi ever even _tries_ to do something to you, makes you cry, cheats on you or anything like that then just tell me and I will give him a piece of my mind!" Chihiro said with a raised fist and fire in her eyes.

"Sure thing!" Ayumi replied, making a mental note to never tell Chihiro such things. Keima had suffered enough in his original world. And this world existed only because of Ayumi. There was no way she was going to let Keima suffer because of her selfishness.

Nonetheless, Ayumi felt relieved. Despite everything that Vulcan said she was still worried that her actions will hurt Chihiro, but now it seemed that wasn't the case.

A few minutes later, however, Ayumi suddenly realized there was another, completely different, issue. Chihiro had always been searching for excitement and new gossip topics. And the two of them were almost like sisters. Thus, it wasn't really a surprise when Chihiro started to excitedly talk about "foolproof" (and completely absurd) methods to help Ayumi with her goal.

So much for not involving Chihiro, she thought.

(* * *)

So far everything was fine. Ayumi had safely arrived in this reality and hadn't freaked out. She had confirmed a few things and even had somehow managed to talk Chihiro out of her ideas to quickly (and quite forcibly) get Ayumi and Keima together... For now at least.

However, one important thing still remained and that was Keima himself. And talking to him would be really difficult. First, Ayumi didn't want to reveal her intentions, so she couldn't speak with him as openly as she did with Chihiro or Tsukiyo. Moreover, he wasn't just any other guy. He was Keima – the most shrewd, analytical and intelligent individual she had ever met. Not to mention he was practically a master of acting, pretending and predicting things. And he had many weapons at his disposal, game logic and poker face one of the deadliest. His only weakness was that he was unable to realize when girls liked him on their own without him conquering them. This was her chance.

Still, it would be foolish to just approach him directly. On the other hand Ayumi wasn't even remotely good at beating around the bush. Thus, she decided to use the... event she had successfully employed against him before – joint classroom cleaning. Of course, real life wasn't like a game, so the two of them haven't been assigned cleaning duty, thus Ayumi had to take things into her own hands.

Or legs.

It wasn't really that hard. She had _accidentally_ ran into one of her male classmates in the hallway while the boy in question, Minamoto was his name, was carrying a paper cup full of hot coffee. Ayumi _did_ feel guilty about this, but once she offered to do the boy's cleaning duty for him the guilt disappeared. Especially, since Minamoto didn't hide the fact that he'd rather go home than do cleaning with _otamega_ of all people. The urge to kick the boy was surprising even to her, but she kept her temper in check.

And that was how Ayumi had ended in an empty classroom with Keima looking at her as if she had grown a second head. She just hoped he hadn't figured her intentions already or it would be the shortest conquest in history.

"Ayumi" Keima said and she wasn't sure whether it was a question or a statement.

"Yes, it's me" she told him and continued when she saw his uncertain expression. "What's with that face? Is doing a cleaning duty with me that horrible?"

"Why are you here?" he asked, ignoring her question. Or maybe he thought she knew the answer? But she really didn't.

"Couldn't be helped. I poured coffee over Minamoto and offered to do this instead of him."

"Oh, really?" Keima narrowed his eyes. "Is this one of your schemes to involve me with the real?"

"N-no... why would you think that?" Ayumi looked sideways. If she denies it, then he'll think she was doing exactly that, which means he won't realize her true intentions.

Probably.

"Hmpf!" Keima repositioned his glasses, though it wasn't nearly as creepy as she remembered it. "Do what you want, it's a futile effort anyway."

And with this he started cleaning.

"Charming and suave as ever" Ayumi got to work as well. "And here I thought you would prefer doing this with me than with Minamoto."

"I do" he replied.

"Oh? But you still prefer to do it without talking?"

"I'm talking with you now, aren't I?"

"No. You're just answering. It's not even small talk" she shot back, before shaking her head. "And here I thought we're friends..."

"I don't need friends" he reminded her.

"I'm not saying you need friends. I'm saying you have friends."

"Good point" he admitted and then asked. "So what's been going on lately?"

This question could be a pure coincidence, but it also could mean he was aware of... things.

"Besides me crashing into pillars and half of our class trying to figure out why you stopped playing games during Nikaidō's class?" Ayumi started. "There's nothing much happening... except you know... all of us getting used to... well... the truth."

"All of you?" Keima asked suddenly. "You make it sound like all my former... umm..."

"Conquest targets" Ayumi finished for him through gritted teeth.

"Yes... You said it like all of you have been gathering to talk about it."

"It's not like that... But we had a gathering of goddesses."

"Let me guess" Keima said after a moment of silence. "Another argument about which goddess host should end with me?"

"Not exactly" Ayumi replied. "You know how the goddesses are. They really look like sisters will all that bickering, so most of it was just a big argument. It ended before they could reach any conclusion" it wasn't even a lie – Ayumi grabbed the orb before the gathering could come to an agreement.

Keima didn't react except for a slight nod of his head and for the next few minutes they worked in silence, when Ayumi finally decided to ask what she needed to ask.

"So what about you and Chihiro?"

Keima froze and she guessed that it was more out of fear than embarrassment, before slowly turning to face her.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"The six of us goddesses hosts are one thing. You didn't have choice" Ayumi told him, carefully choosing her words, in case Keima realized more than he should. "The same goes for other... girls – you helped them all along. But Chihiro's different."

"I helped her too" Keima noticed.

"Yes, before the Mai High festival... but during the festival she was uninvolved, yet you broke her heart."

"I didn't _mean_ to do it" Keima gritted his teeth, cleaning duty completely forgotten.

"I know... but that's barely any consolation."

"I told her I was sorry... What else do you want me to do?"

"I don't know, how about taking responsibility?"

Keima opened his mouth in obvious shock.

"Responsibility?" he repeated. "You mean you want me to... to..."

"To at least try going out with her" there, she said it. Now it all depended on whether the orb did its job properly or not.

"Look" Keima said after a longer moment of silence. "I get what you're saying. Things happened and Chihiro suffered. But I was _forced_ to do it in order to _protect_ her. To protect _all_ of us. I can understand you expecting me to fix this. What I _can't_ understand, however, is that you're expecting me to do it at _my_ expense. I am a victim here as well!"

"At your expense?" Ayumi asked, feigning ignorance, but she could guess what he meant.

"Why do I have to go out with a real girl because of something I was forced to do?"

"Why? I don't know, because of _your feelings_ for her?"

Keima have been visibly trying to finish the cleaning and leave quickly. In fact, he was in such a hurry that her last sentence caused him to trip over absolutely nothing, resulting in him landing on the floor, his broom somehow ending up on his head.

"Are you alright?" Ayumi asked, genuinely concerned.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Keima almost shouted, looking half-angry and half-terrified. "Feelings? What feelings?"

"You're in love with Chihiro, right?" Ayumi asked, ignoring his exclamation.

"Of course not!" he responded. "What made you think that?!"

"You cried after the festival" she reminded him.

"Alright" he pointed his finger at her. "I admit it – I started to care. I was feeling guilty for doing various... things. I admit Chihiro was the first that made me care like that and she could shake me like no-one else could" he paused for a moment, but Ayumi didn't even think about interrupting him. "I admit I cried. I admit I almost felt something _real_ for her. I admit she would be on top of the list of real girls I could ever date" his face turned even more serious. "But, I _don't_ have such a list! Actually..." he turned away from Ayumi, his voice turning a little sour. "Because of her... no, because of all of you, I started to get involved with the real. Me! The God of Conquest!" he glanced at her over his shoulder. "Me taking responsibility? Don't joke around. I saved _your_ precious real world, so how about all of _you_ take responsibility instead? And... what?" he asked when he saw Ayumi glare at him, hands crossed over her chest.

"I'm just looking for some reason to kick you" Ayumi replied. "Because I really want to kick you right now."

This actually shut him up. Funny thing, how the God of Conquest and world savior was afraid of her legs. Ayumi continued to look at him like that for a few more seconds, before sighing.

"As far as I don't want to admit this, you do have a point" she told him. "But I still think there's no harm in trying to-"

"No, thank you" he interrupted her before she could finish. "Besides, I don't think Chihiro would be happy with me anyway."

To that Ayumi had no answer. Falling in love with someone was one thing and it was fairly easy (unless we're talking about Keima falling in love with... well... anyone). Having a healthy relationship was a different matter altogether. Just because Keima and Chihiro liked each other didn't mean it would work out between them.

Ayumi sighed, then walked up to him. Keima cringed and then stared at her wide-eyed when she snatched the broom from his hands.

"What are you doing?" he asked, confused.

"Go home."

"Huh?"

"Go home" she repeated. "I will finish cleaning for you... I still owe you for ditching my cleaning duty on you back then, after all."

"What's the catch?" he asked, seemingly unable to comprehend the situation at hand.

"There's no catch" she told him. "The real world is not all bad, disgusting and full of catches, you know? And if you feel indebted, then you can always tell 'good morning' to me and the others, instead of pretending, we're not there."

He looked at her for a moment, obviously considering her words and then pulled his PFP out of his pocket and started walking.

"Don't blame me if rumors spread that you're associating yourself with the otamega."

He moved past her and was already by the door when he stopped and turned around.

"Ayumi."

"Yes?"

"See you tomorrow."

He didn't take his glasses off and wasn't even smiling, but Ayumi still felt her heart skip a beat.

"Yeah" she replied and got back to work, before he could notice her blush.

(* * *)

Ayumi was in the bathtub, thinking about what happened today. The fact that everything was just as Vulcan said was surprising, but what surprised her the most was not Chihiro or Keima. It was herself.

Ayumi had already partially moved on (or at least she thought she had), so it was a real surprise to her, when she discovered how easily her feelings for Keima could be rekindled. All it took was the right situation, right circumstances and her heart started to beat just like during the festival.

Of course she knew why this was happening. In this reality most of her competition had disappeared or at least mellowed considerably. She didn't have to be afraid. She didn't have to feel guilty about Chihiro. She didn't have to give up, throwing herself into regret. This gave her hope and even a tiny bit of it was enough to restore her resolution.

And she had much more than a tiny bit of hope right now.

"I see you're determined. That's good" a voice resounded from somewhere below her and Ayumi freaked out for a moment, splashing the water everywhere around.

"Mel! Don't scare me like that!" Ayumi scolded her with a whisper when she noticed the body of her goddess reflecting on the surface of the water, swaying in tandem with the waves Ayumi had created in her outburst. As usual, Mercury was wearing exactly what Ayumi was wearing at the moment... meaning nothing at all.

Mercury remained quiet, observing Ayumi with a soft, barely noticeable smile, but the runner knew enough about the sleepy goddess to knew that this was Mercury's equivalent of a grin.

"This is where you're supposed to say 'I'm sorry fro intruding', you know?" Ayumi told her.

"I know, but I'm not going to" the goddess replied. "Teasing you is just too much fun."

"You and fun? That's new" Ayumi replied. "On the other hand, not apologizing is something you would do. Detached as always, huh?"

"Perhaps" Mercury replied, her voice even, proving Ayumi's point. "So? How did it go?"

"Weren't you watching?"

"I was asleep during the most important parts" the goddess admitted and Ayumi shook her head. This meant the goddess had been listening when she had been talking with Keima and then had fallen asleep in the middle of their conversation... only to ask about it now. Typical Mel.

"It went well enough" Ayumi responded, feeling her cheeks heat up. Talking about her (possible) love life was embarrassing, even when talking with her goddess.

"If you say so" Mercury remarked nonchalantly, thus Ayumi was slightly surprised when she heard the next part. "Then you're done with 'scouting' and are ready to move to the next stage?"

"H-how do you know?"

"You forget that your love is my energy" Mercury reminded her. "I feel your heart is no longer filled with doubt or guilt. Actually, I feel you're quite eager to get closer to Katsuragi as soon as possible."

"It's not like that" Ayumi replied, but her face reddened even more.

"Anyway, so what do you plan to do now?" the goddess asked, genuine curiosity in her voice.

Ayumi remained quiet for a while, her head raised in the direction of the ceiling, but in fact she wasn't looking at it, but beyond it. Looking into future.

"I think I'll do nothing for now."

"Huh? Why?" Mercury asked with the most surprised expression Ayumi had yet to see on the goddess' face.

"If there's anything I've learned from Katsuragi's... exploits then it's that you should never fail to learn about your... uh... target."

"Are you going to rely on his tactics from games?" Mercury asked.

"Just a little bit" Ayumi looked sideways. "They _do_ work, after all. And I'm not really that eager to try to get him to go on date with me during winter. It's better to take it slow. Slow and steady wins the race, right?" Ayumi asked with a cheerful expression, but then faltered when she saw Mercury's... well... shocked face.

"W-what?" Ayumi asked embarrassed.

"Slow and steady?" the goddess repeated. "You?"

Ayumi groaned. "Isn't it what you have advised me in the first place?" she asked.

"Yes, I did, but I didn't think you'd go along with it" the goddess replied. "You were never good with beating around the bush."

"Your honesty is appreciated" Ayumi replied sarcastically. "But I'm still doing it" she paused for a moment. "And I could use this time, to prepare myself as well. After that it's game start."

"Prepare yourself?" Mercury repeated. "Are we talking about mastering cooking skills? Rehearsing pick-up lines? Or..." the goddess actually _smirked_. "Buying some more revealing clothes and seducing Katsuragi with your body?"

"MEL!" Ayumi said, kicking and splashing the water around in anger, until the goddess' face was nothing more that a blur.

Half an hour later in her bed Ayumi was still more than a little angry at Mercury. The reason was simple. Because of the goddess' last suggestion Ayumi couldn't get the very disturbing image of her serving Keima coffee in skimpy maid outfit out of her head.

 **(* * *)**

 **So... Ayumi talks with Chihiro and gets her permission. Then she cleans the classroom with Keima. And then she has to deal with Mercury and her playful... suggestions. Hoped you enjoyed reading it at least as much as I enjoyed writing it. :)**

 **The next chapter will cover a lot of time and Ayumi's position as the Mai High Unguided Missile will be questioned (cue dramatic music)! Thus, wait patiently for the next instalment of AyumiNomi!**

 **As usual I very much encourage you to review the story at your leisure. The reviews and other forms of support build a large part of my motivation, which helps my writing considerably. And it is always good to have some feedback about the story. Constructive criticism is welcome as well.**

 **See you next time!**


	4. Flag 24: New semester

**Hello, everyone!**

 **I'm back with the fourth chapter of the AyumiNomi!**

 **I don't have much to say this time around. I just want to thank all of you for your continuous support :)**

 **And as for the requests for Ayumi in a maid outfit... I think I'll try to put it somewhere in this story. And if this doesn't work then I'll make a one-shot spin-off for it. ;)**

 **...I'm also experiencing a mild writer's block right now -.-'**

 **Okay, enjoy!**

 **(* * *)**

"Hey guys!" Miyako said cheerfully, waving her hand.

"Yo!" Chihiro waved back. "Was I the only one who had trouble finding our classroom?"

"Seems so, but I don't blame you, it really feels weird" Miyako pointed to the sign above the classroom which read 3-B.

Yes, it was early April and they were all third years now.

"So, how was your spring break?" Chihiro asked once she was in her seat.

"It was nice" Miyako responded. "I spent two weeks with my grandma in the countryside. What about you?"

"Composing, eating, sleeping and goofing off, everything to rest from the school" Chihiro said with a nostalgic expression.

"And you Ayumi?" Miyako turned to the runner sitting next to them.

"Well... I did various things" it was the truth and Ayumi wasn't talking just about the spring break.

Over four months have passed since she had arrived in this... reality. Winter and spring breaks were spent mostly with her family, leaving her less than three months of time she could use freely. And it have been strange three months...

First, Ayumi spent days on end trying to completely study the memories she had received. Of course she had done that before, but not in such detail. And this time the purpose was different – to learn more about Keima and help her formulate her plan. To this end, Ayumi had surveyed every memory pertaining to Keima and his... conquests. And it hadn't been easy. It required a lot of concentration and willpower, as watching Keima trying to woo females that weren't her couldn't be called particularly nice. All of this also took considerable amount of patience. And most of the time Ayumi was rather short on patience.

And no matter how many times she had relived the memories she was still amazed at how easily Keima was able to figure things out and lead his plan to fruition. Even if this was done based on ridiculous game logic.

All in all, it was a beneficial experience... although there were times when Ayumi had became too engrossed in her thoughts... especially when studying her own conquest and reconquest. It always ended with her getting off the bed with a fierce blush on her face and Mercury always teased her about it afterwards.

Once Ayumi was certain she learned all she could she started the second phase. The overall goal was to get closer to Keima inch by inch. They were already, more or less, friends. After all, Ayumi was his first conquest, a goddess host, his classmate that actually attended school (unlike Kanon). This made her pretty much one of the closest people to Keima besides his family. Actually, only Chihiro, Nikaidō, Tenri and Haqua could be considered closer to him.

Yet, that didn't mean Keima thought of her as a friend. The most troublesome part was that they all wanted to be Keima's friends and could rely on him... but the feeling was not necessarily mutual. The reason was simple – Keima barely ever needed friends or help. So, while Ayumi obviously viewed him as pretty important person to her, he might view her as just "one of the more bearable parts of the real." Thus, she wanted to slowly became part of his daily life, one of the few people that deliberately choose to approach his desk during breaks between lessons.

And of course she didn't give a damn about what her classmates thought about her hanging out with him.

Soon Ayumi became bold enough to meet him outside of school. And, while meting with him alone was hard and risky, she found that it was considerably easier as long as Eri and Chihiro tagged along. Keima was usually more than a little reluctant about hanging out with them, but he had a weakness... he seemed particularly afraid of bringing other girls home, so he usually agreed to hang out as long as they didn't come to his house.

And such outings were particularly weird. How could they not be with twins like Eri and Keima? Even Chihiro's normality looked out of place next to them... Most of the time Keima seemed barely there, focused on his games, but they decided not to bother him about it. It was still progress. And it's not like he wasn't listening. Ayumi actually envied him... his games were something similar to her running and band practice, but unlike her he could take his PFP nearly anywhere with him.

How convenient...

And even more strange was the fact that Ayumi wasn't meeting with just Keima.

On one December afternoon the 2-B pencil members were walking from school together and Chihiro whined about the freezing weather. Miyako then suggested they grab something warm to eat. Before she even finished talking Eri was already dragging them along to Narusawa City...

...the look on Sumire's face when the five of them entered her rāmen restaurant was priceless. Eri and Miyako seemed the only ones truly excited, while Ayumi and Chihiro kept glancing at the rāmen girl nervously and Sumire glanced back in confusion.

And Ayumi had never eaten such a good rāmen in her life. Or sweet rāmen for that matter. And all in one bowl.

And Sumire wasn't the only one. Now that Ayumi was aware of the other girls she couldn't help but notice them while walking through school corridors. It all started when Ayumi turned a corner one day and almost bumped into Kasuga-sempai. She apologized, but was surprised when the senior girl looked even more confused and embarrassed then Ayumi was. And the older girl was carrying some gift-like box that Ayumi didn't pay attention to at the time.

On another occasion Ayumi was running too fast as usual and almost crashed into Shiori. The runner apologized afterwards, but the bookworm still looked as if a bullet had missed her by a hair's breadth.

Meeting Tsukiyo became almost as natural as meeting Yui... which was even weirder considering the two of them could be now sometimes seen together, usually with Mio wedged in between the haughty blond and the fierce drummer like an intermediary.

The only thing weirder was one day in January when Ayumi had witnessed two things happen at the same time. First thing was Keima being approached by this Urara girl. This caused Ayumi to panic for a brief moment, until she noticed a physics book in the other girl's hands. And the second thing was dumbfounded facial expressions of students observing the first event.

To top it off, Keima wasn't the only one who had been approached, as one day the swimmer junior girl Minami suddenly appeared in front of Ayumi and, with pure admiration in her eyes, gave her "you're so cool, sempai!" speech along with a box before running away with speed Ayumi was proud of. One box inspection later realization hit her – the box was similar to the one Kasuga-sempai had been carrying before...

With all this, it came as no surprise to Ayumi when some familiar faces started to appear during the 2-B pencils practice sessions, greatly confusing Miyako.

At the beginning such encounters were really awkward, but step by step they started to look better. Greetings became common and sideways glances turned into words.

Moreover, thanks to those encounters it became rather obvious that most girls had given up on Keima. Ayumi was almost certain that one or two of them even had boyfriends right now. Of course, there were some exceptions. She was pretty sure Minami and Sumire were still very much interested in Keima. And, unsurprisingly, Yui seemed as aggressive as before. Ayumi had been thinking about talking with the drummer, but she decided against it... who knew what Yui and her goddess would do when faced with an open competition...

Even exams were much easier to bear than usual, mainly because Ayumi got to be tutored by Keima again. And this time she didn't question his teaching methods. And she wasn't the only one. She, Chihiro and Mio wanted to learn a quick and easy way to pass the exams with as little stress as possible. On the other hand Kanon, Urara, Minami and Kusunoki seemed seriously into studying. It wasn't really a surprise once you realized we're talking about study time deprived idol, an astronaut wannabe and soon-to-be middle/high school graduates.

At first Ayumi wasn't so certain about chipping in to buy Keima a few games in exchange for his tutoring, but it proved worth it in the end.

Then the spring break came and Ayumi suddenly realized that it felt kind of weird to be back to interacting with just her own family. It was because somewhere along the way the other girls became something like distant, never visited cousins that suddenly transferred to her school. And Ayumi had no idea how the numbers of almost all the girls found their way to the contact list in her phone.

One week before the start of the third year Mercury attempted to tease Ayumi by saying that the runner got really used to this world. The attempt failed, when it took Ayumi a few moments and two questions to realize what the goddess meant. And then she had to admit that Mel was right.

She had become so used to this world as if it had always been hers from the very beginning.

No... it _was_ her world.

And here she was. The first day of the new semester. April. Spring. The supposed season of love. It was finally time to make a move, Ayumi thought to herself.

"-umi! Hey, Ayumi! Are you listening?" Miyako's words brought her out of her reminiscence and back to reality.

"Sorry... What was that?"

"I was talking about the spring meet!"

"You're talking about running practice already?" Chihiro asked in a bored voice. "Meets come and go. It's not that big of a deal."

"You don't understand!" Miyako said, her tone uncharacteristically stern. "It's the APHS!"

"And what exactly is that... ASHP?"

"APHS" Ayumi corrected her. "Annual Prefectural High School meet in track and field. It's held once a year in each prefecture. Miyako mailed me about it last night" Ayumi remembered. "This year it's held in Narusawa City."

"Yes and the fastest high school track and field team in the prefecture will be decided there. You get it? The fastest high school girl out of our entire prefecture!"

Ayumi groaned quietly. She had other things on her mind now...

"I'm not really that interested in watching."

"What do you mean watching?" Miyako asked.

"Umm... you want me to go with you to Narusawa watch it, right?"

"Ayumi... did you even _read_ my email yesterday?" Miyako asked, actually looking peeved.

"Ugh... kind of?" truthfully she just skimmed through it.

"I can't believe you..." Miyako shook her head.

"Can't believe what?" Chihiro asked curiously.

"This year our team is _participating_!" Miyako almost shouted, making half the class look at them in confusion, but Ayumi paid it no heed.

"Our team? In prefectural meet?" she repeated in shock. "Our school team is that good?"

Miyako nodded.

"Since when?" Ayumi asked.

"I can't believe how surprisingly ignorant you can be at times Ayumi" Miyako remarked before continuing. "Since when you ask? How about since _you_ joined the team?"

And then it finally dawned on her. Something inside Ayumi clicked and in result her jaw all but dropped to the floor in shock.

"Wait... Ayumi is going to compete with the best runners from the entire _prefecture_?" Chihiro asked, completely serious. "The prefecture's population has to be at least 3 million people. Maybe more."

"It's over nine millions" Miyako responded. "Which roughly yields over 130 thousands high school girls."

Ayumi didn't ask how she calculated that.

"Was there _anything_ else I missed in that email?" she asked.

"Yes" Miyako replied. "Our coach said that we have to train hard and that means the two of us will be unable to have 2-B pencils sessions. At least not for a few weeks."

"Don't worry about us" Chihiro said before Ayumi could even open her mouth to apologize. "We'll manage and-"

Chihiro stopped and Ayumi quickly realized why. Both girls could almost feel their skin crawl when a dreadful aura of pure depression reached them. They turned around and, sure enough, Keima walked into the room with Eri.

"What's wrong this time?" Ayumi asked when Eri greeted them, obviously referring to the gamer who was now resting his head on his desk. "Did the government make the games illegal or what?"

"Umm... it wasn't the government..." Eri replied uncertainly. "Just wait and see" she added when she saw their confused expression.

Before any of them could reply the door to the classroom opened and Nikaidō-sensei walked in. Ayumi found it a little weird that Nikaidō would be their homeroom teacher this year too.

And then second later she finally understood what Eri meant.

"Attention class! I have a short announcement" Nikaidō started. "As you know the third year is special and your main goal should be to study hard. Now, I know that for some of you are particularly immune to the concept of studying" Nikaidō looked at the class, her eyes stopping briefly on Ayumi, Chihiro and Eri. "So you'll be glad to know that this year you'll have a very _passionate_ study help. Thus, I would like to introduce your new homeroom teacher for this year" she indicated to the person to her right. "Jun Nagase."

"I'm very happy to see you again. Let's do our best!" Jun exclaimed and then raised her fist into the air with a loud "OOH!" that almost managed to drown out the sound of Keima's head hitting the tabletop of his desk.

(* * *)

"You're taking it surprisingly hard, considering it was _you_ who motivated Nagase-sensei and said that she has to come back" Ayumi told Keima, while opening a can of soda.

As soon as the break started Keima escaped before Jun could even reach him, so she focused on other students. Ayumi, Chihiro and Eri went out of the classroom and found Keima on the rooftop, playing his games like there was no tomorrow.

"You don't understand!" Keima replied. "Nagase doesn't just want me to stop playing in class! She wants to make me stop playing games at all! And I got an email from Dokurō yesterday. She wrote she'll support Nagase with all her might. And it's our third year!" he hid his head in his arms. "Mom at home... Nagase at school... What happened to my gaming time?"

"Now, now, I'm sure Nikaidō-sensei was just messing with you" Ayumi never would have guessed she would be patting Keima on his shoulder in a situation like that. Maybe he _did_ need friends after all?

"Wait a moment... why are we cheering you up?" Chihiro asked. "Shouldn't we actually help sensei?"

Keima looked at Chihiro with dead eyes that seemed to say "you traitorous real".

"Not helping, Chihiro-san" Eri whined.

"Easy, easy, I was just joking" the band leader smiled gently. "We all know games are your oxygen. And if you die out of suffocation because of Nagase-sensei's zeal then we wouldn't have anyone to pick on, right?" she turned to Ayumi and Eri who looked back at her with disapproving gaze.

"Spoilsports..." Chihiro said.

"Speaking of sports" Eri turned to Ayumi. "Ayumi-san, is that true that you're going to compete in a national championship this year?"

Ayumi opened her mouth to answer, but Keima spoke first.

"It's not a national championship. It's the annual prefectural meet" he said. "Are you unable to remember and comprehend a few simple words you bugged devil?"

"You're so mean" Eri said, while flailing her arms dangerously close to his head. "And I'm not a devil!"

"And how do _you_ know about it?" Ayumi asked Keima, surprised.

"Dokurō" he answered simply.

Before they could talk more the bell announced the beginning of the next period.

(* * *)

The next few days were probably the first time when their classmates were thankful for having Keima in their class as his presence seemed to attract the bulk of Nagase's attention, resulting in practically a war. No blood was spilled, no animals were harmed and there wasn't any real physical collateral damage, but it was still a war between two believers of teaching and gaming and everyone else made a visible effort to stay clear out of the field of fire.

And Ayumi was training like never before, her coach was using the bulk of his time and attention solely on her. Her results were far from satisfactory, however. Well, it wasn't as if Ayumi became slow. She was still the Mai-High Unguided Missile... but she had trouble improving her time any further.

And thus she found herself sighing during break one day. She couldn't improve her time. She couldn't go to 2-B pencils practice. She had to study under the stern gaze of Nagase-sensei, leaving her with little time to even think about Keima... If only she could do more than one of those things at once...

Suddenly she bolted upright. Wait. Maybe she could...

(* * *)

"Katsuragi."

Keima almost dropped his PFP when he heard his name being called. Impossible. Could Nagase follow him all the way to the rooftop? Was his safe haven compromised? He turned around in panic and then sighed in relief.

"Ayumi..." he mumbled, trying to calm down. "Don't scare me like that."

"Scare you?"

"I thought you were Nagase-sensei..."

"Ooh..." Ayumi remarked before smiling. "And how do you know she didn't send me to confiscate your console? Sorry, sorry! Just joking" she added when he glared at her.

"So? What do you want?" he asked, his voice wasn't nearly as cold and detached as when she first met him, but there was still room for improvement. Or maybe he was trying to keep her at a distance.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you for help."

At this he looked at her in surprise. "With what?" he asked.

"You know I have this important meet in a few weeks, right?"

He nodded.

"And my coach said our school very rarely entered this competition and has never really won. Not even third place" she paused for a moment, her legs crossed, one shoe tapping against the ground in nervousness. "He said that I'm fast, but this might be our only chance, so I should give my best. Thus I need to improve. Fast."

"What that has to do with me?" he asked.

"Simple" she told him. "I want you to help with my training."

Keima continued to look at her for a few seconds.

"Ayumi" he said finally, regaining his composure. "I'm the otamegane."

"I know?" she said, confused.

"The only times I've ever seriously run is when trying to escape a drove of girls. Or when Kodama had it in for me during PE. How could I possibly help you?"

"How about that time when you helped me with my fake injury?" she asked, her hands crossed over her chest.

"That was based on a scenario from one of my games" he reminded her.

"So what?" she countered. "I don't care as long as it helps. Weren't there some games with athletic training in the gameplay? Besides... I'm pretty certain you would be a competent coach anyway."

"Perhaps" he replied. "But you couldn't have chosen a worse time to make such a request. With my gaming time as it is I don't have any time to-"

"I don't ask you to do it for free" Ayumi told him.

"What do you mean?"

"This meet is pretty important, so it's in everyone's interest for me to win. Even for Nagase-sensei. She loves sports, after all."

"Go on."

"Now, you know how... violent I am, right? How difficult and taxing training me would be for you, right?"

"Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

"Yeah. Help me and I'll persuade Nagase-sensei to cut you some slack" Ayumi explained. "Especially if I win" she added.

Keima seemed to consider this for a moment.

"Are you sure you weren't a shogun or a strategist in your previous life?" he asked, half-joking.

"Ahaha... who knows?" she replied, while scratching the back of her head. Did he just compliment her on her _smarts_ of all things? "So... what do you say, Keima?"

Only when he stopped his gaming she did realize what she had said.

"W-what?" she stuttered out when he looked at her in surprise.

"Keima?" he asked. "Since when do you use my given name?"

"W-what's so strange about it? You've called me Ayumi for a long time now."

"I can stop it if you want..."

"That's not what I'm talking about" she told him and then her expression turned gloomy. "After everything that has happened for the last year... I thought we were close... I thought we were friends..."

"We are friends" Keima admitted after a moment of silence.

"So... is Keima, okay?" she asked and he nodded with a strange expression on his face. Was it embarrassment?

"So, what do you say about my proposition, Keima?" she repeated her previous question with a smile. It felt good to call him like that.

"I'll think about it. Ask again tomorrow" he told her, before returning to his games.

(* * *)

The next day Ayumi wasn't really able to listen to the teachers, her mind still on the offer she had extended to Katsuragi yesterday. It was a good choice, right? This way she could become faster and get a little closer to Keima as well. Two birds with one stone, right?

She was also very much tempted to use this as a straight-forward event and push her relationship with Keima to the next level (more like first level), but she had a very distinct feeling that it was too early.

The problem was that she couldn't control her emotions completely. If she could she wouldn't be in this situation to begin with. With each passing day her feelings for Keima grew. Bit by bit, but they did. Maybe it was because he was becoming a little more involved with the world. Or maybe it was her learning new things about him.

Anyway, the bottom line was that it was becoming more and more difficult to just stand next to him without trying anything as her heart yearned for his acceptance.

With those thoughts she approached him after school, before her running practice.

"Hey, Keima!" she shouted to grab his attention when she noticed him walking through the corridor.

He turned around, only to cringe when he saw her start running in his direction at full speed. He covered himself with his hands and awaited the sound of the crash... but it never came.

He looked in front of him, unable to comprehend the impossible.

Ayumi had stopped in front of him.

"Looks like my brakes got better, huh?" she said with a cheerful expression. "So what is your answer?"

"Six o'clock."

"What was that?" she asked.

"Meet me today at six o'clock at the school's sports field."

"So you agree?"

"As long as you keep your part of the deal, yes."

"Let's see if your method is effective first" she smirked. "Anyway you said to meet today. Shouldn't you first see my current performance before we start?"

He repositioned his glasses in his trademark way. "See your performance?" he repeated. "Who do you take me for? I already did that."

"Y-you did?" she asked in disbelief. She knew he was very diligent, but she wasn't expecting him to start his research so soon. Moreover, the thought of Keima observing her from somewhere during her practice made her feel oddly excited.

"Alright then" she told him before extending her hand to him. "So we have a deal?"

Keima reluctantly shook her hand and Ayumi smiled at him.

"Thank you, see you at six!" she told him, before turning around and breaking into a run.

(* * *)

It was evening when Ayumi arrived at the sports grounds already in her running clothes and wondering whether Keima was there already. She was still significantly tempted to use this opportunity to try and get closer to him, but it was too risky. If he figured it out then he would think she asked him for help just to make a move on him and she didn't want that. No... she should take things slow. Slow and steady wins the race, right?

The only thing that worried her was that "Ayumi" and "slow" rarely appeared in the same sentence. Mercury reminded her about it today as well...

And then she finally noticed Keima sitting next to the track. As usual, he was playing his games. And, as usual, she felt her heart beat a little faster when she saw him. Heck, as of late she could actually feel butterflies in her stomach when talking to him. It might be a little stereotypical, but if she was supposed to be like a heroine...

"Hey, I'm here!" she said with a smile once she was close enough.

"Hey" he stood up and put his console away. It was a minor victory – he would be still playing them when she was running. Probably.

Keima opened his mouth, but no words came as he continued to stare at her with a strange expression.

"Ayumi..." he finally said.

"Yes?"

"Are those... bloomers?" he asked.

She nodded, trying to fight the blush that threatened to invade her face.

"Why?"

"I just didn't want to offend you and your 'track team spirit' thing. Is something wrong with that?"

"No, it's fine" he told her.

"Sooo, what do you have in mind, _coach_?" she asked. "A special warm-up or something?"

"No. I don't think that's necessary. I think your problem lies in your confidence."

"Huh?" she asked. "I don't have any confidence issues anymore! I mean not after your... ugh... conquest..."

"I know" Keima told her with his hand pushing up his glasses. "And that's exactly the problem."

"Excuse me?"

"During your conquest you were already a star athlete of our school. You said back then that your time wasn't improving, but I think that was the work of the runaway spirit. Once it was removed you were the fastest person in school."

Ayumi nodded.

"Now, the problem starts here. As long as you were in local competitions then there were no issues. You, a player, competed with a bunch of background characters that were no match for your speed and everything was fine."

Ayumi nodded again – the explanation was... Keima-ish, but she understood it and was already aware of it... maybe except for the part where her runaway spirit was slowing her down. She had never looked at it that way.

"However, this time it'll be different" Keima's voice brought her back to reality. "This time you won't be competing with background characters! You'll be competing with other players. Other Ayumi's. The Unguided Missiles of their own schools and cities."

Ayumi looked down. Keima was right – this time she won't be anything special, she'll just be another star athlete.

"This leads us to your current problem" she could see Keima's eyes lit up similar to when he was talking about his games and she had to lean back when he pointed his finger at her. "Your current training is simply not intense enough! You're training with background characters all the time. You're confident because there is no real competition for you. This will simply not do!"

"Those 'background characters' are my club mates, you know?" she crossed her arms over her chest, slightly offended. "Besides, I always run with my own pace, so it doesn't really affect anything."

"Wrong" Keima told her. "Just 'your own pace' won't do. Your current limits might not be enough. You need to push yourself past your limits. And in order to do this, you need a strong rival. Someone faster than you."

"F-faster than me?" Ayumi asked stupefied. Truth be told she had long forgotten the possibility that such a phrase could exist. And it seemed that was exactly the point Keima was trying to make.

"Yes" he said. "You're too used to being the best and winning. You need to experience competition and defeat that you'll have to overcome."

"You mean like that girl playing shōgi?" Ayumi asked, feeling only the slightest pang of jealousy.

"You mean Nanaka? Yes, something like that."

She sighed. "Alright. Who is supposed to be my rival then?" he couldn't mean himself, right?

"She's supposed to be here in a moment. Ah, here she goes!"

"She?" Ayumi asked and then leaped back when something literally dropped from the sky.

"Um... good evening, Katsuragi" the new person said. "I'm not late, am I?"

"No" Keima responded. "You didn't get lost on your way here?"

"Are you suggesting I have no sense of direction?"

"No, of course not..."

By this time Ayumi recovered enough to point her finger at this new person.

"Aah!" she exclaimed. "You... you are!"

"Oh, right. You've met before, but you haven't been properly introduced" Keima said before pointing to Ayumi. "This is Ayumi Takahara, my classmate" then he pointed to the other person. "This is Haqua du Lot Herminium, devil from New Hell."

 **(* * *)**

 **Good evening, Haqua. Long time no see :)**

 **So... here we have a pretty large time skip and Ayumi getting used to her new... well... girlfriends. Then the preparations for the annual prefectural meet start! And Nagase-sensei is back with all her passion! Ayumi proves to be a resourceful general once again and Keima agrees to train her!**

 **I wonder how will this training go? Let's hope Ayumi and Haqua will have a healthy *cough* *cough* competition. ;)**

 **In result, we start the more romance-oriented part of the story, so flags and events will become more frequent from now on.**

 **Some trivia. I didn't explicitly name the prefecture Maijima City is located in, but I assumed it would be modeled after the Kanagawa prefecture which has a population of almost 9 million people. Well, I changed it to over 9 million in tribute to Vegeta from the Dragon Ball franchise xD  
**

 **I also took the liberty of using the Japanese** **population pyramid to calculate the most probable number of teenage girls aged 16 to 18 in that prefecture, so Miyako's claim is, more or less, correct.  
**

 **And I wonder if anyone noticed one particular detail concerning Miyako. Well, I know that ZelgadisGW did, I would be surprised if he didn't. :)**

 **As usual I would like to know your opinions, so review at your leisure. Favs and favorites are always appreciated as well.**

 **No omake this time as well. I'll put it next time.**

 **Next chapter is scheduled to appear on next Thursday (November 5).**

 **See you next time!**


	5. Flag 25: Stopwatches and lucky charms

**Hello, everyone! I'm back with another chapter of AyumiNomi!  
**

 **As always, I'm grateful for your continuous support, meaning all the reviews, follows, favorites and views!**

 **I had a lot of things to do lately and it affected my writing time, thus I wasn't able to make much progress this week. Of course, I'm still several chapters ahead, but my "safety buffer" is shrinking. That's not good. I just hope it's temporary.**

 **Random rant: being the KamiNomi addict that I am, I took the liberty of researching the age of various characters... with surprising results, as the ages (dates of birth) I was able to deduce differ from the ones from KamiNomi Timeline on TV Tropes website. Most characters ages are at least consistent... but there are a few characters that prove troublesome in this aspect. And guess who I'm talking about?**

 **Keima and Ayumi of course!**

 **Keima claims he's 17 at the beginning of the series (definitely before his birthday) and claims the same after being sent into the past (which happened in November, definitely after his birthday).**

 **Ayumi is similar. She's said to be 17 at the beginning, which is almost certainly before her birthday, but her father claims she's still 17 when Keima "proposes" to her. And that's definitely after her birthday.**

 **It's a shame** ** **Tamiki** Wakaki didn't explain it better or something. Right now the only possible explanation is that "17" sometimes means "almost 17".**

 **And the really problem is I'll be needing their ages a few chapters from now. I guess I'll have to... guess them.**

 **Okay, enough with this. Here goes the chapter.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(* * *)**

"No offense or anything" Ayumi asked Haqua once they were on the track. "But are you a fast runner?"

"Runner?" the devil girl asked back.

"We're supposed to run, aren't we?" Ayumi reminded her.

"That goes for you, but not for Haqua" Keima replied from the side, already devoted to his console. "Haqua will be flying."

"E-excuse me!?" Ayumi half-asked and half-yelled.

"Why are you so surprised?" Keima replied. "It's true that Haqua might be quite competent when it comes to running, but the point is to give you enemy you are very unlikely to defeat."

"You mean impossible to defeat?" Ayumi noticed.

"Don't worry" Haqua told her, trying for a reassuring smile. "I will try to match your pace."

Ayumi glanced at the devil girl and frowned. Trying anything direct with Keima was indeed a bad idea, but it would still be nice to impress him with her athletic prowess. Now, thanks to Haqua's appearance, not only was it impossible, but Ayumi was all too aware that Haqua had at one point developed feelings for Keima. Well, she was a 300 years old devil and her affection was supposed to be suppressed, but the apprehension was still there.

"By the way" Keima glanced at Haqua. "Are you sure there is no problem with you being here?"

"It's fine" Haqua told him. "Especially if I do this" one simple gesture and Haqua's appearance changed. Before she was wearing her regular attire, but now she was dressed just like Ayumi, except she had shorts instead of bloomers... which reminded Ayumi of her own embarrassment.

"And what about your guarding duty?" Keima asked.

"Nora and Rimyuel are guarding us both as we speak, so it's no problem."

"Alright then."

"Just one question" Ayumi interrupted. "Why are you helping me?"

"Well" Haqua looked away. "I'm just doing Katsuragi a favor... besides, think of it as of me repaying you for all the things... yeah..."

Ayumi didn't have to ask to know what Haqua meant – after all she manipulated her alongside Keima. They did it to protect her though, but Ayumi wasn't going to argue any longer.

"Let's not waste anymore time" Keima said with a tone of finality.

(* * *)

"Ready, set, go!"

And with this Ayumi started the same way she did for the last few years. It took her no more than a few seconds, however, to fully realize what Keima meant with this training.

Except for the time of her conquest Ayumi had always been the best. During a race there were only two possible situations for her. First, she was in the lead. And second, she was overtaking other runners, reducing the situation back to the first case. There were simply no other possibilities.

Until now.

Ayumi was fairly certain that she would be able to at least pressure the devil girl if both of them were running. But no. Haqua was floating above the ground and Ayumi recognized the impossible third situation – she was neither in the lead nor getting any closer to her opponent.

If Keima had been hoping that it will ignite her battle spirit then he was right. It was ignited by anger, powerlessness and jealousy, but it was still there and Ayumi started to emit an aura that would scare Eri and Miyako. Maybe even Chihiro.

And then the race ended and for the first time in a long while Ayumi wasn't the first. She was second. It was a mild shock. Up to the point when she realized she was not only second.

She was the last.

"S-so how did it go?" she asked panting, taking great care to look away from both Keima and Haqua. She was sure she wasn't going to start crying, but she didn't want to take any risk.

Keima showed her the stopwatch and Ayumi grit her teeth. There was no improvement.

"Are you feeling up for another round?"

"Yes!" Ayumi said, while glaring at Haqua, who almost flinched.

Keima knew that having Haqua as her opponent was a little harsh, but it was still a lot better than having Nora or Rimyuel do it. The first would probably tease Ayumi, which wouldn't end well. The second would be too methodical, too predictable and Keima doubted she would understand what Ayumi was going through.

Well, he doubted either one of those two would agree to help anyway...

(* * *)

She needed to get faster. And in order to do this she needed to run. And to run she needed to get up from the ground. It wasn't supposed to be difficult. You just get up. But right now Ayumi found out she couldn't. She knew how it was to be tired, to be out of breath, but this was different. This time something different was weighing on her.

That something was defeat.

"I think that's enough for today" Keima said.

Enough? What did he mean by that? Not only she didn't improve, but she started to get slower from all the pressure. It was as if she was under the effect of a spirit again. Was this kind of training really going to be effective?

Was Keima helping her at all?

(* * *)

This kind of dark thoughts have kept plaguing her for the next two days. It was weekend now, meaning a great opportunity to use the school's running track.

And Ayumi was hell bent on getting better. Even when Keima claimed she was too tired to continue running. She violently disagreed, but had to concede when Haqua immobilized her with that magic cloth of hers.

Well, at least she got to experience a little how it was to be Keima – to be ensnared by hagoromo and lectured by Haqua.

And somewhere along the way she got this funny idea that Keima wasn't really helping her. Maybe he realized her feelings and was just keeping her occupied to distract her from him? But why would he get so smart in real life matters so suddenly? And then she thought of another reason.

Maybe he knew she couldn't get any faster and was just trying to prepare her for the inevitable? To teach her that defeat wasn't all that bad? Maybe the similarities between this training and Nanaka's conquest went further than Ayumi originally realized...

Maybe he was just pitying her... and that one thought was something she couldn't stand.

(* * *)

"Hey, Ayumi!" one of her fellow track and field club members, greeted her.

"Hey, Izumi..."

"What's wrong?" Izumi asked when she realized Ayumi had replied with much less enthusiasm than usual.

"Nothing's wrong" Ayumi lied. "I'm just tired from the training this past few days."

Well, at least it was a half-lie.

"Past few days? You mean you're training during the weekend? That's crazy."

"Not at all" a new voice interrupted.

"Miyako."

"Hello to both of you" Miyako said before turning to Ayumi. "Well, I wouldn't even be surprising to see you run all day. You probably run in your dreams."

Ayumi didn't reply. That last part wasn't exactly wrong.

"Buuut" Miyako continued. "It's still weird to see you tired and grumpy this early in the day."

"I'm not grumpy!" Ayumi shot back, but faltered when she saw her friend's gaze. "Maybe just a little..."

"Well, it's fine as long as the training pays off, right?" Miyako said smiling and Ayumi did her best not to frown.

She didn't get better at all. Maybe she should just stop this special training with Keima.

"Okay, let's go. As much as I hate warming up it won't get done by itself" Izumi said, before stopping. "Ayumi?"

"Huh?" the Mai High Unguided Missile mumbled back.

"I said we should get going."

"Oh yeah. Right."

"Are you sure you're not sick or anything?"

"No... I just got distracted."

"By what? Expecting someone to cheer for you from the sidelines?" Miyako asked before she went quiet. Huh? Where did that idea come from, she asked herself.

And the funny thing was that it was exactly what distracted Ayumi, because for a moment she was certain she saw... No, that couldn't be true.

(* * *)

"Ready. Set. Go!" Ayumi was sure she started to move before she heard the "go". Well, it wasn't a false start, but close. She didn't care however. Losing to a 300 years old flying devil was one thing, but losing against her fellow club members was absolutely out of the question. She couldn't have gotten that slow in those few days, but she wasn't going to take any chances.

Well, she thought as the race ended, at least she was still the fastest person on the team. It was something.

"Hey, hey, Ayumi" Miyako, who was timing them, approached her with a smile. "Do you mind that we train together next time?"

"Huh?" Ayumi asked. "Why?"

"I'm not jealous or anything, but I wonder what kind of training allowed you to improve like that in just a few days."

A full three seconds passed before Ayumi comprehended her words.

"Improve?" she asked, now thinking she was hearing things.

"Yeah" Miyako told her while showing her the stopwatch.

"Hold on a moment" some other girl pushed Izumi aside to see better. "It was 400 meters, right?" Miyako nodded. "Then isn't it like... a new record?"

"All school records are Ayumi's anyway" Izumi noticed, glaring at the other girl.

"I don't mean our school records!" the girl snapped back. "I mean the Narusawa City track and field records. For boys."

"You're joking right?" it was back to Miyako.

"No, I'm pretty sure that's it. Or close to it."

"Did you hear that Ayumi? Ayumi?" Izumi turned around only to see the Mai-High Unguided Missile with a stupefied look on her face, her gaze glued to the row of digits on the stopwatch.

There were a few possible explanations for this, even if all of them were unlikely. And she better be wrong. Because if her guess was right then she was going to kill him.

(* * *)

Keima didn't have to look up to correctly guess who was the owner of the shadow that just now blocked the weak spring sun. He was just wondering when will the kicking start.

"Katsuragi" the person said and he had to wonder whether she was back to calling him that (preferable), was too embarrassed to use his given name in public (acceptable) or was just too angry at the moment.

The last one was the worst option. For more than one reason.

"Yes?" he asked while looking up. She didn't look particularly angry, but that alone meant nothing.

"Can you explain to me how I could be so fast today when I was so slow yesterday?"

He remained silent for a moment before finally speaking. "What are you talking about? Just now you were as fast as yesterday. That's called consistency."

At that she glared at him.

"Yesterday my time was a lot worse" she said. "Or that's what I thought."

Keima didn't respond, so she chose to ask him directly. "Did you lie to me about my time during our training?"

"Lie?" he repeated, looking at her with his piercing gaze. "That would require me speaking."

And then she realized he was always showing her the time on the stopwatch, but never announced it to her out loud.

"B-but, but" she could already feel her anger dissipate. And she wasn't that angry to begin with. "You manipulated the stopwatch?"

"Yes" he admitted.

She was silent for a moment. Did he stop the stopwatch only after she had finished running? Or did he ask Haqua to use illusion magic? Well, it didn't matter anyway.

"You still lied to me" she told him.

"But you got better thanks to it, right?" he continued to play his game for a few more seconds. Then he slowed down his clicking and frowned a little. Then he stopped playing completely and looked up at her, an expression of mild surprise on his face.

"What?" she asked, hoping her cheeks weren't as red as she thought they were.

"Isn't this the part when you're supposed to kick me?" he asked.

She looked at him in confusion. And then chuckled.

"No, I'm not going to kick you. I'm not supposed to kick you" she paused for a moment. "Actually I'm pretty sure I'm supposed _not_ to kick you" she told him before smirking. "Still, I can do it if you want."

"No, thank you very much" he replied quickly and returned back to his game.

Half a minute passed and the only thing that changed was that Ayumi was no longer standing above him, but sitting next to him.

"Aren't you supposed to go back to running?" he started.

"In a moment" she replied. "Right now I'm thinking."

"About what?"

"I'm trying to figure out why I'm talking to you" Ayumi told him.

He looked at her with a mixture of confusion and annoyance. "You don't have to force yourself to talk to me if you don't want, you know."

At this she just laughed. "Did I hear that right?" she asked. "Isn't it you who forces himself to talk to me? Besides I meant something else."

"Like what?" he probed.

"I mean... there's one crucial requirement for me talking with you here."

"Namely?"

"Namely... you have to be here in the first place."

Keima's gaze was now holding a hint of worry, as if he was concerned about her mental stability.

"I am here" he told her.

"Yeah... and that's what I'm wondering about. So... what are you doing here, Keima?"

"I don't know. Playing games? Does it ring any bells?"

His bravado was mostly crushed when she got a little closer, forcing him to lean back. "Yeah, because you always come here to play your games, right? So what is it? Are you just observing the effects of your training?"

Keima was silent for a moment, obviously thinking about something. Finally he said something, but Ayumi didn't quite catch it. Or at least she thought she didn't.

"I... beg your pardon?"

"I was cheering" he repeated a little louder and then resumed his gaming.

He could feel her gaze on him and finally he turned, only to see her look at him with her mouth agape.

"What?" he asked, trying to stay calm.

"You were cheering?" she asked. "For me?"

He hadn't been using embarrassing banners... Well, right now she wouldn't really mind them, but it wasn't his style. His style would be to just stand there quietly just like he was doing right now. That was how he would cheer for her.

But still... that didn't explain _why_ he was cheering in the first place. Was he just helping her? Or could it mean something... more? Or was she looking too deep into it?

"Well, I did promise I would cheer for you" he told her and she knew he meant all that false cheering during her original conquest. Was he feeling guilty that he hadn't come to cheer for her during that meet almost a year ago? Come to think of it, she wasn't sure he hadn't done it back then.

And then she smiled. It was kind of obvious and Keima predicted it. But he was still not prepared to see it. That smile. Ayumi's smiles were usually radiant, almost like Eri's (unless she was pissed of course), but this was different.

"See?" she asked when she got up. "It isn't so bad to get involved with the real world once in a while, right?"

"T-that's" he started, but she interrupted by bowing in front of him.

"Please continue training me and cheering me on" she said politely. "I'll be counting on you, Keima!"

"Y-yeah..."

And with this she was gone, running in the direction of the track. Running so she could train. Running so she could run.

And Keima was left on the sidelines completely and utterly confused.

(* * *)

And thus the training continued. With Ayumi already aware of his training methods the improvements become less spectacular, but Keima still found ways to pressure her. He made her race against the other two devil girls – Nora and Re... Rim... Akari – while Haqua guarded them from the distance (and Keima explained to Ayumi why he was being guarded).

Moreover, Ayumi wasn't racing against Nora and Akari in turns. No. She was racing against _both_ of them at the same time. And this time she crossed the finish line as last, instead of the "last, but second place". Good thing she wasn't racing against _three_ of them. Then she would be outside of the podium...

It was a little over a week before the meet when Ayumi approached Keima, who was playing his games on the rooftop. Thanks to their deal he could play freely for now, as she had spoken with Nagase-sensei. It seemed to go well enough, but Ayumi had the distinct feeling that her teacher was aware of not only their plan, but also of Ayumi's hidden conquest of Keima.

Maybe that was why Nagase agreed to give him more freedom?

"Hey, coach" Ayumi greeted, surprising him.

"Hey" he replied, not taking his eyes off his console. Ayumi noticed that the current heroine on the screen was some sports girl. Was it a coincidence? Was it for training her? Or was he considering conquering her. "Do you need anything?"

"Do I need a reason to talk to you?" she replied with a question, before turning more serious. "Well... the truth is I wanted to talk about our training... I want a break for a few days."

"Are you serious?" Keima asked. "The meet is in a week and you said you were going to give it your best, so why are you faltering now?"

"It's not like that" Ayumi told him. "I really _want_ to train... but I _need_ to take a break."

"You need a break?" he asked with clear disbelief. "You? The Mai-High Unguided Missile?"

"Yes, I might be a missile... b-but" she faltered. "But, there are also times when the gunpowder is u-unlit..."

"Gunpowder?" he repeated. "Unlit?"

She sighed.

"I'll be indisposed for a few days" she explained.

"Why?"

At this point she groaned.

"Because I'm a girl, you know?"

"What being a girl has to do with this?" he asked.

"Because I'm having my period!" she shouted at him. When she realized what she said, her face became all red.

Just as Keima's did.

"Your period?" he asked.

"Yes... why are you surprised?" Ayumi responded, her eyebrow twitching.

"Heroines in games never have period-OUCH!" he shouted when she kicked him in the shin. "What the hell!? Weren't you supposed _not_ to kick me?!"

"You deserved it, you insensitive jerk!" she turned away from him, offended.

"Insensitive? Tell that to my shin!" he told her, before sighing. "Alright, I'm sorry. It was my mistake..."

"Apology accepted" she responded.

They stayed like that for a few minutes until Ayumi spoke again.

"I suppose I should thank you as well."

"You don't have to thank me" he responded. "We had a deal."

"Yeah, but there's more to it, right?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You want me to get used to losing, so it won't be too much of a shock once it happens?"

"Is that what you've been thinking?" he snorted. "The deal was to prepare you to compete and that's what I'm doing."

She nodded slowly.

"However" he continued. "What you said is important as well. I told you before: it's fine as long as you do your best. It's not about rankings, it's about you not having any regrets."

Ayumi's heart skipped a beat. Yes, the entire point of this... reality was for her not to have any regrets. And he referenced the words he had used during her original conquest.

"R-right" she stuttered out.

Did he know? Was he aware of the effect he had on her? Was he baiting her? If he was, then he was doing a very good job, as she had trouble staying calm. One part of her wanted to stay quiet, while the other was ready to hug him and not let go for a while.

"Anyway" he said, tearing his eyes from the console for a moment. "I know that fighting spirit, technique and muscle power are important, but so is the equipment."

"Equipment?"

"I've seen your running shoes" he explained. "They're practically worn out. Can't the school supply you with better shoes?"

"It doesn't matter" she replied slowly. "They're just training shoes... During the actual race I'll be wearing a different pair."

Keima chuckled "You have a pair of shoes used only during meets?" he asked.

"You should know" she said, her cheeks turning red. "You were the one who gave those shoes to me, after all."

At this Keima stopped playing and turned to her with a shocked expression, looking as a character from some game.

Figures...

"The shoes I gave you?"

"Yeah... don't tell me you don't _remember_ giving them to me" she warned with narrowed eyes.

"You still have those?"

"Y-yeah..."

"They were nothing special really... so why?"

"I might've lost my memories, but I knew those shoes were special" she replied, not looking at him. "They became the symbol for my regained confidence. My lucky charm."

Of course it was much more than a charm. It was tied to him. To her feelings for him. It would be more accurate to call Keima her lucky charm rather than her shoes.

"You don't need lucky charms" he noticed.

"Maybe... but many sportsmen and athletes have luck charms. There's no harm in having one, right?"

"Maybe..."

(* * *)

Three days later they resumed their training and Ayumi tried her very best under the guidance of both her regular coach and Keima. Then she had one more day of resting.

And then the day of the competition came.

 **(* * *)**

 **So here is Ayumi's training and some bonding between her and Keima. I'm also a little surprised at people commenting about Haqua running. Truth be told, I didn't consider her running from the very beginning. And I'm pretty sure Ayumi would be faster than Haqua in a fair race.  
**

 **As for Ayumi having... that time of the month. I got the idea from the original manga omake (chapter 6.5), which says "a weapon requires no brakes! It just needs to smash the goal! But there are also times when the gunpowder is unlit... I mean, I'm a girl!" Of course it could mean different things as well, but I decided to interpret it that way. :)  
**

 **As always, I encourage you to drop me a review and follow/favorite the story!**

 **The next chapter is Ayumi competing during the annual prefectural meet. Now, if this was a game then that would be a pretty big event, right? I wonder what'll happen. ;)**

 **If you're curious, then wait for the next chapter. It's planned to appear on Thursday as usual.**

 **See you next time!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Just as promised, here's the omake for Minami. Sorry for it being so "chopped":**

 **Wild junior swimming conquest target Minami appears!**

 **Minami used Comb. It's not very effective.**

 **Minami is late! Minami used Agility. Minami's speed rose! Minami used Dragon Rush.**

 **(* * *)**

 **Akko and Saitou appear.**

 **Akko and Saitou used Tease. It's super effective.**

 **(* * *)**

 **Demon buddy Elsie appears!**

 **Elsie used Helping Hand. Minami is confused!**

 **Elsie got aw-Doro! Doro! Doro! Minami is confused!**

 **Elsie got away safely!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Minami used Dive. Minami used Water Sport. Minami used Soak.**

 **Minami used Assurance. But it failed! Minami's defense fell!**

 **Minami used Waterfall (of tears).**

 **(* * *)**

 **? ? ? appears!**

 **? ? ? used Water Sport. ? ? ? used Extreme Speed. ? ? ? used Moonlight.**

 **? ? ? turns out to be Shiny Keima!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Akko and Saitou used Mai-High Knighthood Files. Akko and Saitou used Detect. But it failed!**

 **Akko and Saitou used Gossip. Minami is confused!**

 **Akko and Saitou used Tease. Minami's defense fell!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Keima is hit with recoil!**

 **Elsie used Chatter. Keima used "Sempai Love" Potion.**

 **Keima is loafing around!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Minami used Comb. It's not very effective.**

 **Minami's brother appeared! Minami's brother used Fury Swipes! It's super effective!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Minami used Meditate. Minami used Imagination. Huh? Minami is confused! Her chest tightened in her confusion!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Minami used Lean On. Keima appears! Minami is confused!**

 **Keima used Chatter. Minami is confused!**

 **Minami got away safely!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Minami is home!**

 **Minami's brother appears! Minami's brother used Water Gun! Ciritcal hit!**

 **Minami is confused! Her chest hurts in her confusion!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Minami used Follow Me. Minami is now a stalker!**

 **Keima used PFP. Minami is confused!**

 **Elsie appears! Elsie used Bento From Hell! Keima's defense fell!**

 **Keima used PFP Surf. Elsie used Pursuit. Minami is confused!**

 **Keima got away safely!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Minami used Swallow. But it failed! Minami's appetite went away!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Keima appears! Minami is confused!**

 **Keima used Stalker Exposition. Minami was frozen solid!**

 **Keima used Follow Me. It's super effective! Minami was invited to the Tanabata festival!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Minami is home! Minami is paralyzed and unable to move! Minami is infuated with Keima!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Tanabata festival starts! Keima appears! Minami appears!**

 **Minami used Fish-The-Yoyo. It's super effective! Minami got 2 yoyos!**

 **Minami used Bestow. Keima got a yoyo! Minami's defense rose!**

 **Akko and Saitou appear! Minami used Follow Me. Minami used Agility.**

 **(* * *)**

 **Keima used Holding Hands. Minami can't get away! Minami is confused!**

 **Keima used Ember. Keima used Mystical Fire.**

 **Minami used Wish. But it failed!**

 **Loudspeaker used Screech! Minami and Keima's defense fell! Tanabata festival is now over!**

 **Minami used Denial. Minami's defense fell! Minami used Not-So-Fake Tears.**

 **Keima vanished instantly!**

 **Keima used Chatter. Minami used Pursuit.**

 **Minami used Wrap. Keima used Growth. Keima used Assurance.**

 **Keima and Minami used Festival Kiss.**

 **The loose soul appears! Elsie used Imprison. Loose soul in custody!**


	6. Flag 26: The race

**Hiii, everyone! I'm back and I'm bringing you another chapter of AyumiNomi! But before this there are quite a few announcements.**

 **First, as I always I want to thank you for all your support, including reviews...**

 **...speaking of reviews. Ryuumaru Kara have asked how did Keima convince Akari and Nora to help. Well, Akari probably saw it as a good chance for an experiment and Nora just wanted to tease Ayumi. I'm not really sure myself. I tried to ask Keima, but he kept mumbling something like "Yokkyuun~" without noticing me... -.-'  
**

 **And to the guest (Traveller, I guess): yes, parents involvement seems tempting. Actually, a lot of ideas in KamiNomi sound tempting. I would gladly read about them. I would also like to write about them, but I just don't have the time...**

 **Which brings us to the second, this time not-so-good, announcement. Currently I'm more than a little stuck and I just barely finished Flag 29. Omakes aren't better, as I somehow managed to finally finish Tenri's omake yesterday. Part of it is a typical writer's block, but the main reason is the work I have to do this month, as I need to prepare one big and important project among other things...**

 **What does that mean for us? My plan is to keep the normal schedule with the chapters I have done and then get back on track in December, hoping I'll be able to write at lightning speed. Alternatively, I'm considering switching to slower schedule (like 1 chapter per 10 days or so) for a while. We'll see.  
**

 **And the last thing – I have decided to make a forum simply named The Forum God Only Knows (because The World Writers Only Know was taken). Previously I was talking about community, but it seems I've confused those two with each other. Thus, a few important things to point:  
**

 **a) the forum can be found from FF.N by going into "Forum" then "Anime" and then "World God Only Knows". The link should also appear on my profile page (Yay! It's no longer empty!).  
**

 **b) The detailed info about the forum can be found on the forum itself, but it's general purpose is to provide authors and readers with a place where they can exchange opinions, because reviews, profile page and even PMs are not always a good way to do it. For example forum can be used by authors to announce progress without the need to update their stories with "false chapters" (author's notes), especially since** **forums, as well as particular topics, can be followed.**

 **c) Be sure to read the forum rules (they are pretty simple at the moment).  
**

 **d) Currently, the forum image is the same one I used for my other story, but I might try to peste... umm... ask ZelgadisGW to make us a new one.  
**

 **e) The most important thing: the forum is us – it won't work if people won't use it, thus I encourage you to try it, especially since I'm new to this as well and I'm just learning about the possibilities forums provide and how to manage them. For example, I can't seem to create new topics when categories are in effect, so I removed them for the time being. Figure that...**

 **f) Oh and the forum will also need at least one moderator, so if you feel up to the task (good enough knowledge of English grammar for starters) you should PM me.**

 **...sigh... talking about profile page reminded me that I'm yet to fill it with anything sensible. I'm not really good with things like that...**

 **Okay, enough talking. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **(* * *)**

Ayumi was feeling quite strange right now. First, she definitely felt excitement, that unexplained need to run that was her second nature. Second, she felt bored out of her mind. Even Miyako, who sat next to her, and her droning did little to help her, so Ayumi mostly watched out of the window, observing the landscape move as the train continued traveling along the rails.

And finally, she felt disappointment.

During her training she and her team had been so excited with the upcoming meet that they totally missed the information that due to the increased number of participants the competition couldn't be held in Narusawa City, so the team was currently on route to the prefecture capital.

If it was in Narusawa then her classmates could have come watch her as well. Maybe... maybe Keima would have come as well... But with things like this it was out of the question.

How disappointing...

"Ayumi, are you alright?" Izumi asked from the seat behind her.

"Yeah..." the Mai-High Unguided Missile replied. "I just wish we didn't have to travel so far."

"Thank good it's nothing serious" Miyako said with a small smile. "After all we wouldn't want for our team star to lose her spirit right before the start, would we?"

That was true to some extent. Ayumi wasn't depressed or anything, but still she wasn't stupid. She knew a part of her motivation was directly connected to Keima. He wasn't exactly praising her during their training, it wasn't his style, but she knew he cared. She knew he was doing his best as well. And she wanted so much to show him that she was thankful. She wanted to win this race for him... for him to see her win. She wanted to once again walk up to him and say "Look, Keima, I'm the newspaper!" or maybe "Keima! Did you see me? I was fast, right?!"

Alas, she couldn't.

She sighed. She never really expected the most important meet of her life so far to feel this insignificant. It wasn't like she was afraid of her rivals or like she was ungrateful for this chance to prove herself. It's just that it felt... incomplete and she couldn't help but wonder why.

Was Keima really _that_ important to her, so victory seemed empty without him? Was it because he contributed to that victory as her _impromptu_ coach? Or were her feelings for him that strong despite knowing the truth? If so, then her original idea to move one was less feasible than she thought.

Or maybe she was under the influence of a runaway spirit again? After all, she could pretty much been carrying a gap in her heart. Gap that waited to be filled by Keima.

(* * *)

An hour later they reached their destination and after two more hours Ayumi was finally on the track field – her feet in Keima's running shoes shuffling nervously – surrounded by hundreds or thousands of spectators. Ayumi had never run with such an audience and it made her feel a little queasy.

Seriously, how could Kanon enjoy such attention?

And then the various sports event started.

Ayumi's team was at disadvantage, but it wasn't unexpected. After all, other teams were balanced and their members usually participated in two or three events tops. On the other hand, Ayumi's remaining team members were noticeable weaker when compared to the competition. It meant that either they would have less chance to win or that Ayumi had to participate in several events... and that was only because her coach had firmly forbidden her from participating in all of them.

So far it was... unremarkable. The relay she could understand – it was a team effort and no matter how fast Ayumi was, she couldn't beat a team with four equally fast girls. It was actually quite nice – they managed fifth place. Out of ten. The best Maijima ever did.

The events Ayumi didn't participate in were understandable as well and her team never managed to place higher than sixth place. Still, no-one was really disappointed or angry – it was what they had been expecting, after all.

Somewhere along the way Ayumi had a strange thought occur to her. Chihiro was troubled by being normal instead of someone special. Ayumi now was beginning to think that her situation was worse... she always thought that she was a bit special. The fastest runner in school. And thus running became her everything. That's why when she couldn't improve the runaway spirit had been able to possess her.

She managed to reach some level of being special... only to learn there were runners superior to her even at her age. Bah! She was a third year and there were some first years here!

She was curious how many middle schoolers were faster than her?

This thought actually angered her, reigniting her resolve. And maybe it was because of this that she managed to make third place in hurdling.

And then second place in another race.

And then the last event came. 400 meters run. Her favorite distance. Long enough to reach her top speed and short enough so she wouldn't falter before everything was over.

She felt the pressure weight on her shoulders as she took her place on the starting line, but she didn't give in. She was past feeling guilty or regretting.

She was going to do what she did best. She was going to become a missile. A missile with no brakes. She was going to launch and head straight for the finish line and smash it to pieces.

Then all sounds vanished. Ayumi, her rivals, the field track, the audience, the entire building went quiet in anticipation. Ayumi couldn't even hear the rush of blood in her ears or the beating of her heart. But she didn't have to hear it – she know her heart was pounding like crazy.

And then there she heard the shot shatter the silence.

The race have begun.

(* * *)

The entire race took barely a minute, even for the slowest runners, but that was only from the perspective of the audience. For Ayumi the time seemed to slow down. It always did.

But never to this extent.

Thanks to the previous events she more or less knew how dangerously fast her opponents were, but it didn't make winning any easier.

Her enemies weren't like students from her school who couldn't really match her speed. But they weren't also devils that could fly. They were Japanese high schoolers just like her. There was no excuse this time.

It was either her or one of them.

Her lungs were burning and her legs felt as if they were made of lead, but Ayumi wasn't going to give up. No, she would give it her all, so she would not have any regrets. That's what this was about.

That's what all of this was all about – to not have any regrets.

Ayumi sped up, deliberately ignoring her body's attempts to resist. Slowly, but surely she overtook the runner before her and set her sight on the next one sprinting just ahead of her.

The girl must've realized Ayumi was gaining on her, because she accelerated as well, but it was obvious she was pushing it – her movement became erratic and Ayumi didn't hesitate to exploit this weakness. Still, she wasn't underestimating her enemy. Quite the opposite – she came to view the other runners like another versions of herself. Another Ayumis. Another unguided missiles of their own schools, each and every one made for running, not stopping. Here she was nothing special, unless she proved otherwise.

And she intended to do exactly that.

Both of them, Ayumi and the other sprinter, were continuing to run, four pairs of limbs swinging and thrashing at the air in a quick pace, but the distance between the two was shrinking. Finally, Ayumi left the girl behind.

And gritted her teeth.

She was second place now, but here was where the real problem started, because she remembered how much distance she had to the girl in the lead a moment ago.

And this distance didn't shrink at all.

There were two possibilities. Either the leading girl was putting up a front, with slim chances she will falter before the race finished or she was just that good. In the first case Ayumi's chances to win were remote. In the second case there were none.

Ayumi tried, she really did, and managed to retain her current position, but she couldn't overtake the girl in the lead. Yes, she was getting closer, but it was too slow. The girl was just better.

And then she saw him.

She had no idea how he managed to get here and her vision wasn't all that good and stable, but it was definitely him. He was standing in a place where there was supposed to be no audience. He wasn't standing out _per se_ , but for some reason her gaze was focused on him.

The crowd was shouting all the time, but the words were mixed, blending into one booming sound. Even if all of them were too scream the same thing Ayumi wouldn't be able to hear it anyway. She didn't know whether the audience was with her or against her.

On the other hand Keima wasn't screaming or saying anything, for a moment she wasn't even sure if he was watching her or just playing his games. But he was watching. Ayumi couldn't see the look on his face, but somehow she understood. She understood his message.

 _It's not about winning or losing. It's about you running the way you want to run._

And the way she wanted to run was to win.

Ayumi picked up her pace, completely disregarding the distance separating her from the leading girl in front of her. Actually, she stopped paying attention to the finish line in the distance as well. Instead, she focused on the third thing that was in in front of her – Keima.

In hindsight it was pretty absurd, but suddenly somewhere in her mind she somehow connected winning the race with winning Keima. Her lungs were still begging her to stop. Her breathing became even more erratic. But her legs started to move faster.

Ayumi didn't know whether the leading girl finally faltered or not, but the distance between the two was shrinking much faster now. Still, the distance to the finish line was decreasing even faster than that. And then the truth hit Ayumi like a ton of brick.

She wasn't going to win.

She still couldn't tell what the crowd was shouting, but it was shouting it a lot louder now.

She wasn't going to win.

The finish line was really close now.

She was going to lose.

A few seconds later the crowd erupted with cheers when the girls went past the finish line. Ayumi slowly came to a stop and was just trying to catch her breath and not fall to the ground, but that effort was wasted when she was all but tackled by Miyako, followed by the rest of her team.

If Ayumi were to be honest with herself she would have to admit she wasn't very much aware of what happened directly after that. She knew she was on the podium and received her award, but it seemed so distant, her body almost on the autopilot, her smiles a little forced, her mind flooded by only one thought.

She had lost.

The ceremony didn't take all that long, but for Ayumi it seemed like hours. And then it finally ended.

"So how about we go celebrate and-?" Miyako stopped when Ayumi went past her. " Ayumi?"

"Sorry, I need to do something, I'll be back soon!" the Mai High Unguided Missile said before sprinting off.

"She still has the energy to run?" Miyako said. "Where is she going anyway?"

"Maybe she went to the bathroom" a boy from her school team said and then added when Miyako gave him a stern look. "What? When you gotta go, you gotta go."

(* * *)

Ayumi didn't know how much time passed since the race ended, so she ran at full speed, navigating through the corridors. She just hoped she wasn't too late. And that she was going in the right direction. Finally, she turned a corner and saw him walk calmly near the end of the corridor, his back turned to her.

"Keima!" she shouted. She had this little feeling of apprehension, afraid he would just continue to walk forward, but her worries were unnecessary, as he stopped and turned around.

Lost.

"Ayumi?" Keima asked, although this was a weird thing to say, after all the two of them were the only ones in the otherwise empty corridor.

"How did you get here?" she asked. Truth be told she wasn't really interested in knowing that. She was saying it in order to calm herself. Before she did something stupid.

"Ah... I asked Haqua to bring me here" Keima replied, before questioning her again. "Shouldn't you be with your team right now?"

"So you came" she said completely ignoring his question. "You come to cheer for me."

Lost.

"It was the audience and your team that cheered for you" Keima noticed, calm as ever.

"But you did too" she said and stepped forward. She was slowly losing control.

Yes, she was sure her team was supporting her, maybe even the audience, but Keima had been cheering for her as well. In his own way. He wasn't trying to be someone else, someone who would shout and smile. He cheered for her as Keima Katsuragi.

"You cheered for me, just as you promised back then" she told him and Keima didn't have to ask to know she meant her original conquest.

"Well... I did say I would come to do it" he said. "Anyway. I think congratulations are in order. You were really fast today, Ayumi" he smiled at her, but then his eyes widened. "Ayumi?"

Now that she was close enough. Keima could see her face more clearly. She didn't look all that happy. Actually, she looked sad.

"What's wrong?" he asked, genuinely concerned.

"I'm sorry" Ayumi told him, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"What do you-" but before he could finish his question Ayumi started running in his direction and in no time tackled him, wrapping her arms around him, before both of them all but slammed into the wall behind.

"I'm sorry" she repeated.

"I-I don't understand. What's wrong?" he said. Ayumi then raised her head to look at him.

She had lost.

She had told herself to stay strong. To march forward. Slow and steady. Because slow and steady wins the race, right? She was supposed to stay in control. In control of her emotions. Keep things close to her chest. Don't reveal her cards too soon.

But she had lost.

She had won the race.

But she had lost the battle to keep her emotions in check.

She put one of her hands behind Keima's head to keep him steady.

"I'm sorry" she told him. And then, for the third time in her life, she pressed her lips to his.

(* * *)

For Ayumi the way Keima viewed love was obviously strange, but it wasn't like she herself knew that much about love either. Maybe what she felt for him wasn't love. Maybe it was just a crush, attraction or something of the kind. Maybe it wasn't real.

However, anyone claiming that it wasn't love would have to supply her with some other answer. Because she definitely _felt_ something. The moment her lips came in contact with his her feelings started to gush out. Unable to keep it inside anymore Ayumi let the dam break and immersed herself in the kiss.

Just like their two previous kisses it wasn't perfect. First, was she supposed to be the one kissing him? Well, she didn't really mind most of the time, but she would really like for him to kiss her as well. Second, both of her previous kisses happened in quite strange (even if romantic) atmosphere, so Ayumi wasn't able to enjoy them as much as she wanted and the current kiss was somewhat similar.

Moreover, Ayumi had to use all of her self-control to not get overboard, as she was very tempted with the concept of French kissing, but she knew it would do her no good now. So instead she just kept kissing him, savoring the sensation while it lasted.

And there was a lot to savor, because, all-in-all, she enjoyed that kiss quite a lot. Granted, it would be better if he kissed her back, but she still felt like she belonged where she was. If that wasn't love than she didn't know what was.

However, as good as it was, the kiss couldn't last forever. Actually, it ended all too fast and not because Keima pushed her back (he was probably too shocked to do that). No, the reason was her race minutes ago, because Ayumi quickly found out that she was out of breath. Literally.

"Wha" Keima said once he was able to speak again. "What was that for!?"

"Umm... I just won the most important competition of my life so far... Don't I deserve a little reward?" Ayumi asked blushing.

Keima started at her blankly for a moment.

"Then get a medal or something!" he tried to push her away, but didn't really succeed.

"But I wanted to do this as well" she replied.

"For god's sake, why?" he asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Ayumi asked. "Because I like you."

It shouldn't be such a surprise to him. How could it be? He had conquered her in the past. Twice. Ayumi loved the false Keima, but still it was possible for some of her feelings to remain. And it wasn't as if he didn't notice the hints of jealousy she displayed in the railway station. No, he wasn't surprised about her having feelings for him.

However, he _was_ surprised to learn that she intended to do something about those feelings of hers. Or was she?

"Wait a moment. Did I get this right?" You want to be with me?" he asked, disbelief evident in his voice.

"Yes" Ayumi told him, cheeks pink and eyes fixed on the wall next to his head. "I wasn't supposed to tell you this now, but it just... happened" she looked at him with determined expression. "But since it happened then I will say it clearly: I'm not giving up."

"I thought you gave up months ago!" he exclaimed. He was annoyed, but he didn't know whether he was annoyed with her, at the real or with himself. Not that it mattered at this point.

"Ugh... I kinda did" Ayumi looked away once more. "But then I decided against it. I won't let my first love end like that!"

"Ayumi" Keima started, trying for a calm tone. He hoped it will help her understand and keep him calm as well. "Look at me. You know who I am? I'm an otamega... no, I'm _the_ otamega. I'm the insensitive creeping man. Why would you _want_ to be with me? If your past self from a year ago could hear you right no-"

"Are you trying to insult me?" Ayumi interrupted him with a hurt expression. "I know all of that. Don't you dare think I didn't think this through! I said it back then on Akanemaru – I am thinking this through!"

"No, you arent't!" he said with a little more force. "You're just following your emotions!"

Ayumi narrowed her eyes. "They're my emotions and I'll decide what do to with them! I told you that before as well! If that's all you've got to say then it's useless. I'm not gonna give up!"

Keima wasn't about to give up either. "Think about it for a moment!" he told her. "I spend half my life playing games! I wouldn't even have the _time_ to be with you! Got it?"

Granted, he suspected this wouldn't convince Ayumi, but he didn't expect her to smile slyly. He didn't know why she smiled until he realized the exact words he had used. Those were pretty much the same words _she_ had used when they had been talking at Inazumart before the Mai-High festival.

Before he could think of something Ayumi suddenly stepped forward, making him lean back, his body pressing against the wall.

"No!" she told him blankly while grabbing his arms. "Now and forever, I'll be your shadow!" she hesitated for a moment, obviously looking for words. "No matter what you say, I will not stop!"

Keima stared at her blankly. He was so surprised that he didn't even complain about the bodily contact. Just now Ayumi had used _his_ own words from back then. She was serious. What she was doing was absurd and pointless.

But she was serious about it.

"Hmpf! Do what you want" he told her while fixing his glasses. "I'm the God of Conquest. I don't need to concern myself with this."

"Good" Ayumi stepped back and smiled at him. "I need to get back to my team, so I'll see you later! You better get ready!" she told him before turning back and running off.

"Idiot" he said quietly. "I'm just going to stay away from you."

"Doesn't matter!" she shouted back, proving she had heard him. "I just proved I'm the fastest high schooler in our prefecture!" she reminded him. "You can hide from me, but you can't run away from me!"

And with that she left him there. Physically she was tired, but psychically she left so light... as if she could run around all of Japan.

You just wait, Keima, she thought to herself before she met with her team again.

I just won this race.

And I will definitely win your heart as well!

 **(* * *)**

 **Ta-da! Here it is – the first important event of this story has just ended with Ayumi laying bare her heart to Keima and kissing him!** **Now the second phase of the conquest will begin!**

 **Trivia: the second part of this chapter was completed somewhere in September.**

 **So did you like this chapter? If you did, then don't hesitate to drop me a review and share your opinion!**

 **Once again, I encourage you to take a look at the forum.**

 **See you next time, hopefully on the next Thursday!**


	7. Flag 27: Spring is the season of love

**Hiii! Xellos540 here! I'm back with another chapter of AyumiNomi!**

 **As usual there is some announcement stuff to do. First I want to thank you for all your support and I would like to answer some reviews, since there were a lot of them for the last chapter.**

 **To Sir sleeps-a-lot: yes, lengthy descriptions are my kind of thing. Not sure if that's a good thing though. Glad I surprised you with the plot. And it seems we disagree on the topic of French kisses. Oh well... P.S. Did you check the forum out?  
**

 **To DPSS: Thank you. That's probably not enough though... ;)**

 **To Kara: glad my plot device was as misleading as I planned it. And Ayumi turning the tables on Keima? I wonder if that's really it. ;)**

 **To Shawn Raven: hmm... seems I need more powerful misleading device next time... ;) Glad the pacing seemed intense. Well, parts of some chapters (including those awaiting us) were done pretty far back. The same goes for the end of this chapter. And yes, I'm encouraging you to check out the forum. :)**

 **To Traveller: frankly, I never viewed Ayumi as the yandere type... especially since other goddess hosts are not actively pursuing Keima. Except Yui of course. ;)  
**

 **To Undying Soul98: it seems your assessment of my romance-writing skills is higher than mine. I personally think I'm not good at romance. Especially with strange characters like Keima. Yeah... in my case it always takes some time to get things going. This entire story will probably be longer then intended. And it wasn't intended to be short... Sigh... Anyway, glad you liked the chapter. Xellos540 out.**

 **To hikigaya: yes, it's Flag 27 already, so it's been a while since this story started. Actually, about now we're having almost exactly 100 000 (hundred thousand) words for both stories _without_ author's notes! And there's still more to come!**

 **That's it for reviews. Next thing is my story progress. In short: it's not much and my prediction about my free time was correct – right now I'm buried with work. And this is going to continue for the next week as well. Let's just hope December will be writing time.**

 **Once again I encourage you to create topics and engage in discussions on the forum. If you can't find the forum, can't see it, can't posts messages or something like that, then don't hesitate to contact me. My own activity on the forum decreased because of my tight schedule, but I'll still find enough time to answer.**

 **Okay, that's all for now. Onto the chapter!**

 **(* * *)**

Ayumi had always been somewhat popular. Sometimes, like back when she had started the trend of people tying their hair up, it was a nice feeling. A little embarrassing, but nice. Other times, like when she was in the beauty pageant, it was much less nice and much more embarrassing.

However, neither of those could be compared to what awaited her the day after the competition. The banner hanging from the high school building saying "Ayumi Takahara – the fastest and the cutest runner in the prefecture!" was the least of her problems.

Much more problematic were the people who gathered at the school gates and waited for her arrival. And there were dozens of them.

But the most troublesome part was the guy that had asked her out before she even reached her class. She turned him down gently.

And then another guy confessed to her. And this time she rejected him a little bit more harshly.

Popularity was overrated, Ayumi concluded as she put her head on her desk, while Chihiro and Miyako were kind of guarding her from her classmates. Once again, how could Kanon deal with such attention? Never mind that. This kind of attention was only because of the competition. A few days, a week tops and it will be gone. The bigger problem were the confessions. It has been a while since someone had last confessed to her. She thought that it was because Keima had been hanging (relatively) close to her for the last year, tarnishing her reputation.

Ayumi sighed. She was popular enough to get confessed to once in a while, yet the one boy she liked was probably immune to her. It was ironic. She was brought out of her reverie when she heard her name being called.

"Ayumi-san! Congratulations!" it was Eri, who practically hugged her while beaming in pride.

"Thanks" she answered honestly as Eri was one of the people whose attention was appreciated.

"Good job, Takahara" Ayumi blinked and turned her head around to see Keima walk by and sit down with his console in his hands.

So it was back to "Takahara" now? Well, she couldn't say it was unexpected. Not after she practically confessed to him yesterday. It wasn't a preferred... development, but it wasn't a big deal. She never expected it to be easy.

"Thanks" she replied with, what she hoped was, a warm smile. At least he wasn't pretending she didn't exist.

Chihiro glanced at Keima strangely and the runner realized her best friend must've picked on his usage of her surname. Before Ayumi could decide what to do with that she heard another person call her by her family name.

"Takahara-saaan" Ayumi cringed a little bit when she saw Nagase-sensei head in her direction, with a _passionate_ smile on her lips. "I watched the competition yesterday! A splendid work indeed!"

Chihiro, Miyako and Eri stepped aside from both Ayumi and Nagase. Chihiro was now wearing a grin that seemed to say "she's your problem now" and Ayumi rolled her eyes.

So now she was the class' outlet for Nagase's enthusiasm? Great...

(* * *)

"I'm busy. Don't bother me" Keima said in a cold voice once she found him on the rooftop. It was a funny thing though. Keima had a number of places where he could normally be found without fail. Just like a game heroine.

"If you're acting cold just to discourage me then it's useless" she told him. "By the way, I talked with Nagase-sensei about our deal. You should have it easy until the second semester."

"Right" he didn't sound particularly grateful, but she couldn't really blame him.

"Honestly" she plopped down next to him on the bench instead. "I can't understand why are you so stubborn about this. I'm not asking you to marry me, you know?"

"Then do you even understand _what_ are you asking of me?" he told her, not looking up from his console.

"Umm... to go out with me?"

"And why would I do that? I don't have feelings for you!" he told her.

"Ooh?" she smirked. "So then there'll be no problem once you have feelings for me?"

"Impossible" he remarked.

"Why?" she questioned. "You might be a gaming god, but you're still human. You sleep, eat and drink. You have never been able to just abandon this world before. And you won't abandon it now. Especially now. And even you wouldn't want to be alone all your life. Trust me, I'm living in the real world, so I know."

"And what you intend to do about it?" he asked. "Force me to go out with you?"

"No" she told him flatly. "Actually, it's the opposite. I'm just going to wait until you ask me out yourself."

"And why would I do that?" he challenged. Was she implying what he thought she was implying?

"Simple" she smiled. "I'll make you fall for me."

Yes, she was implying it... Calm down... just reason with her...

"Isn't that forcing as well?"

"Maybe" she admitted. "But that's how the real world works. Do you think that a girl and boy fall in love with each other at the same time? No. One side makes the other fall for him or her. Your games work the same way, right?"

"But that's only assuming any of you real girls are a match for my game heroines. And that's impossible."

"We'll see" Ayumi told him. He had a point there, but Ayumi had an ace in the hole as well. Normally Keima isolated himself from the real world, but the events of the last year proved that he could be affected by it if exposed to it. He was just generally trying to avoid exposition.

But not on her watch.

"Here" Ayumi told him, while handing him a juice and a sandwich.

"It's just some calories" she explained when she saw his surprised look.

"W-why?" he asked.

"Because you need them" she replied. "I bet you ate just a single toast on your way to school. You need to take a better care of yourself!"

"Hmpf! It's just as I said" Keima repositioned his glasses. "If you were a proper heroine you'd have prepared a bentō!"

"I won't make you a bentō just because you're my friend" her cheeks turned pink. "But I wouldn't mind making you one once you're my boyfriend."

She glanced at him and Keima immediately realized two things. First, she actually had prepared this argument beforehand. And two, while Ayumi wasn't a game heroine, she was much closer to it then he had originally thought. She was caring. She was considerate. And she was almost... almost cute. In other world he had been underestimating her.

And this was not good.

(* * *)

"You did what?!" Chihiro asked, her guitar case completely forgotten.

She and Ayumi were alone in the clubroom, preparing for their practice. And Chihiro had asked what was about Keima calling her "Takahara" again, so Ayumi decided to tell her best friend what happened at the competition.

"I kinda told him that I like him" Ayumi repeated, unpacking her own guitar, face all red. "And I kissed him."

"And he rejected you" Chihiro stated not asked.

"Well... I wouldn't call it rejection" Ayumi replied. "It was more like he didn't accept me."

"That's the same thing!" Chihiro noticed.

"Not really" Ayumi replied. "He couldn't really reject me, because I didn't ask him out. I just told him that I like him. And he said he doesn't have feelings for me right now. And I knew it. I know he's not ready to accept me. I know he still detests the real world. That's why he went back to using my family name. To protect himself. To distance himself from me."

"Isn't that bad then?" Chihiro asked while fiddling with her guitar.

"I don't know" Ayumi thought about it for a moment. "It probably means he thinks enough of me to feel threatened. That's not bad. It means that I at least made an impression."

Chihiro shook her head. "I still don't get it why you did it in the first place."

"I wasn't planning to do it!" Ayumi blushed. "Actually, I was supposed no to tell him anything... But... I was sure I wasn't going to win the race... and then I saw him there cheering for me. And... and I'm pretty sure I won only thanks to him. I wasn't really thinking back then. I couldn't keep it in. I just... It just happened..."

"I knew you had a thing for him" Chihiro started after a moment. "And I know it's to be expected since he... conquered you twice... But I didn't know you had it this bad for him..."

"I hear you" Ayumi replied. "Before I was always worried that what happened between Keima and me was just my imagination or that he didn't really mean it. Or that he was going out with Kanon... But now... Now that everything was explained... Now that I got chance to think this through... I realized I underestimated my own feelings."

"Yeah, I noticed. That's the first time I heard you actually call him by his first name, after all" Chihiro chipped in. "Which is funny, since he just stopped using _your_ first name" her voice then turned more serious. "Still... are you sure it can work out... you and him? I mean he _made_ you fall in love with him. Normally, you wouldn't even give him the time of day!"

"And that would be a mistake" Ayumi replied. "He's much more better person than I thought... I'm actually ashamed of myself to ever call him... you know what..."

"But he _is_ an otamega! That hasn't really changed, you know?" Chihiro noticed.

"It hasn't, but that doesn't make it right to insult him..." Ayumi countered.

"Him making you fall for him wasn't right either."

"Yes... but that's exactly why I'm going to make _him_ fall for me."

"You're talking as if that was easy" Chihiro remarked.

Ayumi shook her head. Easy? Far from it. In truth, she was worried how long it would take to accomplish this. And it wasn't like she was impatient – she was fine with waiting for another year, as long as she succeeded. The problem was different. It was their last year of high school and it was filled with studying for exams... What would she do if she won't manage to make Keima like her before their high school graduation?

Chihiro's sigh brought Ayumi out of her thoughts. "Just remember that I warned you" the band leader said.

Ayumi smiled and was about to change the topic when she heard knocking on the door, which surprised her. Miyako, Yui and Eri never knocked – not in their own clubroom.

"Y-yes?" Chihiro replied, her expression surprised as well.

The door opened revealing one of their classmates.

"Minamoto?" Chihiro asked. "What are you doing here?"

Yaguchi Minamoto – the same boy who was supposed to clean the classroom with Keima in November – entered the clubroom, obviously considering Chihiro's question as enough of an invitation.

"Excuse me for intruding" he started. "But I wanted to talk with you Takahara-san."

"Yes?" she replied. He had already congratulated her for winning the competition so what could he possibly want? Were the two of them on cleaning duty this time? Or maybe he just wanted to repay her for doing his cleaning duty instead of him last time?

But that didn't make sense.

"Can we talk in private?" Minamoto asked, tossing a not-so-discreet glance at Chihiro.

"I don't keep secrets from Chihiro" Ayumi said, stopping her best friend, who was ready to walk out of the room at this point. "If you have something to tell me then just say it."

She didn't know why she acted so... unfriendly. Scratch that, she knew exactly why. She have never liked when others treated Chihiro like she was her sidekick.

"Alright then" Minamoto said before stepping closer, bowing a little and presenting a small gift to Ayumi. "I like you, Takahara-san. Please go out with me."

Why, oh, why hadn't she seen that coming? If she had, she would have walked outside with him, so Chihiro wouldn't have to see this...

Anger surged through her and she opened her mouth to reject him... and then she bit her tongue.

Thinking.

"Takahara-san?" Minamoto asked, but received no answer from Ayumi.

"I see" the boy mumbled out after a few more seconds and then turned around. "Sorry for bother-"

"Wait" Ayumi said, making Minamoto stop and turn around in surprise. Chihiro looked at Ayumi in shock, her eyes clearly asking "you're not doing what I think you're doing, right?"

"Do you really like me that much?" Ayumi asked.

"Yes."

"Then give me time to think about it."

"So... I have to wait until tomorrow?"

"A week" Ayumi told him. "I'll give you my answer in a week. Is that okay?"

"Yes" he replied, but from the look on his face it wasn't true. "I'll be waiting for your answer. Thank you."

And he walked out of the classroom, almost colliding into Miyako and Eri.

"Minamoto?" Miyako asked. "What did he want?"

"Nothing much" Ayumi replied, her gaze begging for Chihiro to be quiet.

(* * *)

"Okay, can you now tell me _what_ was that all about?" Chihiro asked when the two of them were walking after school. Ayumi knew Chihiro was going to ask her that the moment she suggested both of them go to "that new place with meatbuns". Now it was obvious there was no such place.

"What do you mean?" Ayumi asked, playing dumb.

"What do I mean? I mean why would you even _consider_ going out with Minamoto?"

"You wanted to confess to him once, you know?" Ayumi noticed.

"But I didn't. He's not _that_ handsome" Chihiro replied. "And don't change the subject! What about Katsuragi? Weren't you in love with him five minutes before Minamoto asked you out?"

Ayumi mumbled out something Chihiro didn't catch.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Research. It's for research."

"I don't get it" Chihiro said after a moment of silence.

"You said it yourself before: even if you and Keima started dating you wouldn't know what to do" Ayumi noticed. "It's similar for me too. I don't want to admit it, but Keima has a lot more experience than me. And not just in games. So I should get some experience too... Even Keima said it... after the new term starts you should capture the sub-heroine instead of the main."

Chihiro looked at her blankly for a few seconds.

"Did I get this right?" she finally asked. "You're going to use Minamoto and then ditch him?"

"No!" Ayumi exclaimed. "I'm giving Minamoto a fair chance, because that's what I want from Keima – to be given a chance."

"So you're going to go out with Minamoto for real then?" Chihiro asked.

"I don't know. I haven't decided yet" Ayumi admitted. "That's why I asked him to wait a week. If he can't wait for an answer then I'm just going to reject him. If he waits then I _might_ consider going out with him... but I don't think anything will happen."

"Aren't you worried that he might try something?" Chihiro said in a serious voice. "Minamoto isn't like Katsuragi. He's a normal seventeen years old boy. With hormones and all."

"If he tries something like _that_ then I'll make him regret it" Ayumi replied while cracking her knuckles and Chihiro sweatdropped.

Maybe it was good thing that she gave up on Katsuragi, Chihiro thought... It seemed he needed far more work than she originally thought.

(* * *)

For the next few days the school life continued as usual. At least that was what it seemed like on the outside. On the inside though, Ayumi felt rather weird as she had the impression that Minamoto had been looking at her whole day long.

Was it just her imagination or was he trying to pressure her?

And it wasn't just Minamoto as curious glances constantly accompanied Ayumi in class. Was it because of the competition? Or had the rumors about her and Minamoto spread already? That made little sense though... why would it happen?

However, all of this seemed trivial when compared to the last change of these few past days.

And that change was Keima.

Ayumi had expected for him to avoid her or feign ignorance, but she hadn't been expecting the aura of pure coldness he seemed to radiate lately. At first she thought that something happened. Like his collection of games disappeared or Nagase-sensei bothered him too much. But sensei was worried about him too and when Ayumi had asked him if he was alright he'd told her to "leave him alone".

Even Eri didn't know what was wrong with him and she seemed to be seriously worried about him.

And with each passing day his condition seemed to worsen.

Could it be Ayumi's fault? Have she pushed him too far? Was that his defense strategy? But he also seemed to play games less frequently now. No... it was more like he couldn't focus on them.

Ayumi had also this strange idea that it was somehow connected to Minamoto's confession... but it didn't make sense. Not at all! First, why would Keima act cold because of that? Shouldn't he be happy? And second, how would he know about the confession? Chihiro and Ayumi should be the only ones who knew. Even if there were rumors then Keima wouldn't know about them. Not before Chihiro or Miyako.

The most sensible explanation was that Minamoto told Keima about it. But that made little sense as well. Why would he tell Keima that? And why would Keima react like this after hearing it?

And finally the Wednesday came. Tomorrow would be the one week limit Ayumi had promised Minamoto. Thus, she was surprised when the boy in question found her when she was enjoying the sun on the veranda before the morning class started.

"Ayumi" he greeted her, making her blink. First name basis? Since when? Ayumi-san she could understand, but this?

"What is it?" she asked him, noting that he was closer than she wanted him to be.

"I just... wanted to make sure that you haven't forgotten about my... request."

"No, I haven't forgotten... but I haven't decided yet" she replied.

To her surprise he didn't react with anything, but a smile. Was he actually _confident_ that she was going to say yes? Just because she didn't reject him flatly? Did he think she was playing hard to get?

"Alright, I'll be waiting then" he told her and walked back into the classroom, leaving Ayumi confused.

She returned to the classroom and noticed that Chihiro and Eri were already there. And so was Keima. Looking even more gloomy than yesterday.

Ayumi greeted both of her friends and thought about talking to Keima, but decided against it, plopping down on her seat instead.

Maybe she was wrong about all this. Maybe she sucked at making decisions. Maybe she was bad at getting boys to like her. Or maybe trying to get Keima to like _anyone_ was impossible after all. Maybe she had just lost not only her chance, but his friendship as well.

This entire idea with Minamoto was a big mistake, after all. She should've rejected him immediately. No! She should tell him she liked someone else. Maybe she should tell the entire school she liked Keima.

That's it! She was going to reject Minamoto and then she was going to make a big banner, bigger then the one congratulating her on her victory in the competition last week. She was going to place it on the front of the main school building.

The banner would read "Ayumi Takahara loves Keima Katsuragi."

She hit her head on the table.

What was she thinking? Keima would probably change schools if she did something like that... Ugh... why was her thoughts so strange lately? Why was it so difficult? Keima's games strategies have always worked, so couldn't he just ask her out before their relations become even weirder?

Ayumi was brought out of her brooding when she heard some strange sound. She turned her head to the side and noticed that Keima was mumbling something. She couldn't make out the expression on his face, but his lips were definitely moving.

Well, Keima talking to himself wasn't _that_ surprising, but he wasn't playing any games right now. Was it connected to his mood for the past few days? Or has he finally lost too much of his sanity? Ayumi just shook her head. She just hoped she won't have to kick-I mean talk some sense into him.

She had just finished that thought when suddenly she heard the sound of chair scraping. Ayumi turned her head again only to see that Keima was standing. She couldn't see his face as it was mostly hidden in shadow, but she could swear she heard him sigh.

Then he turned around, which would be normal if he turned to the right in order to walk out of the room, but no, Keima turned left and she could now see his face – as unreadable as ever. Then he started to walk. Ayumi's first thought was that he was going to walk into the veranda, then she figured he was going to talk to Eri and wondered what his sister had done this time to anger him. To her surprise, however, Keima walked past Chihiro's and Eri's desks and then stopped before Ayumi's, making the girl in question look at him in surprise.

And she wasn't the only one. Chihiro and Eri stopped their chitchat and were now watching the scene with almost identical looks of confusion. The classroom was still mostly empty, but there were two or three additional pairs of eyes focused on them.

The fact that Keima was approaching her on his own was always a plus and it wasn't like Ayumi was worried to be seen with him in public, but for some reason she felt the blood rush to her cheeks and she didn't know why. Was she just afraid that he was going to tell her to stay away from him and embarrass her? Or was it just her feelings for him that made her feel uneasy?

"Ayumi" Keima said, turning her attention back to him. His features were a little softer now, but his eyes remained determined and fixed on her. It took her a second to realize he was back to using her first name again.

"Y-yes?" she asked, but her words sounded weird, like she wasn't the one who said them. And, as ridiculous as it was, she could almost feel some aura coming from him. And it wasn't the cold aura from before. No... far from it. It was an aura of authority and Ayumi felt that she was no longer in control. It was as if she was really a heroine and he was the God of Conquest compelling her to say what he wanted her to say.

And then the God proceeded to deliver his next line.

"Please go out with me."

If Ayumi had been standing then she would have been knocked squarely off her feet, because even her muscular legs would have given way after hearing this...

No wait... there was no way that would happen, simply because there was now way Ayumi heard him right just now.

"Come again?" she asked, her voice surprisingly calm.

"Please go out with me" Keima repeated without any hint of impatience, his voice even, eyes focused. The only thing worthy of note was a tint of pink on his cheeks.

"Eeehh?" a faint, but still audible voice from the other end of the classroom could be heard. "Ayumi and otame-I mean Katsuragi? Is that for real?"

Surprisingly no-one answered this question, as everyone was busy watching the scene and rubbing their eyes in shock.

"Good morning!" Miyako as always chose the worst moment to interfere with the situation at hand. She entered the classroom with a smile, only to stop when Eri turned to her with a serious look on her face and finger pressed to her mouth, asking Miyako to be quiet.

The freckled girl blinked in surprise and raised her eyebrow. Then glanced at Chihiro, who was unmoving, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, as if somebody just told her that meatbuns didn't exist. Finally, Miyako looked at Keima and Ayumi.

"Oookaaay" she drawled. "What's going on here?"

Any chances for someone actually answering her question were quickly forgotten when Ayumi finally responded. She pushed her chair back and the next moment she was standing in front of Keima. Her expression was calm, which was strange considering that the color of her face was now close to that of her school uniform.

"Okay" she said, no longer capable of looking Keima in the eye, her gaze focused no higher than his chest. "P-please take good care of me."

"Thank you" Keima said, his expression barely changed, before turning around, returning to his seat and pulling out his trusty PFP.

Ayumi sat down as well, now it was her turn to hid her face in the shadow, although it did little to mask her intense blush.

"Okay, now, can someone tell me what just happened?" Miyako asked after a prolonged moment of total silence.

"Eri, pinch me please" Chihiro said, completely ignoring Miyako's question. "Cause I'm sure I'm dreaming."

Eri didn't respond, making it quite obvious she will have to be pinched first.

 **(* * *)**

 **Ayumi used Wish. Ayumi wishes for Keima to ask her out! Keima appears! Huh? Keima just asked Ayumi out! It's super effective! Critical hit! Ayumi fainted!**

 **Minamoto and Keima both asking Ayumi out. You didn't see that coming, did you? ;)**

 **As I said, the part from "** **Ayumi was brought out of her brooding" to the end of the chapter was created some time ago, but I needed to create everything before it. Actually, in the beginning Minamoto was just unnamed character (pretty much a mob like Mobuko) that was used only to help Ayumi meet with Keima during cleaning duty. Later I decided to give him a bigger role and have him ask Ayumi out.  
**

 **The next chapter should prove interesting as well. Can't guarantee that about all future chapters though...**

 **Next update should happen on next Thursday as usual, but be prepared for some delays.  
**

 **As usual I encourage you to review the story. Favorites and follows are appreciated as well.**

 **And I encourage you to give the forum a try.**

 **See you next time!**


	8. Flag 28: Foul play

**Hello, Xellos540 here! I bring you the next chapter of AyumiNomi.**

 **There was quite a lot of reviews this time. Thank you for them all! Here are some answers:  
**

 **– To Undying Soul09: I sure hope you're not sure where I'm going with this... if that made sense :)**

 **– To DPSS:** ** **Beep... Beep... Beep! Beep! Beep! Sir, we've got something on the radar and it's getting closer! ;)****

 **– To Ryuumaru Kara:** **Hooray for the banners! :)  
**

 **– To Shawn Raven:** **maybe the sandwich was a silent "I can cook" message or something? And yes. You can pinch Eri. _  
_**

 **– To Refraction of Light (both reviews): who knows... Well, I know. But, I'm not telling yet. :P**

 **– To Gonzalorp94: I think we already talked about it on the forum, but thank you very much for your opinion. And yes, I thought about being a writer, but I don't have that kinda time. And even if I had I don't have what it takes. Making good (and original) stories requires surprisingly much research.**

 **– To Sir sleeps-a-lot: I've never actually made stories with ongoing relationship before either o.O A lot of responsibility. So little time to write. *chuckles* The forum is actually a nice place for procrastination. :)**

 **Also, I would like to encourage everyone to take a look at the forum. Especially Sir sleeps-a-lot should feel free to join a discussion. Or create a new one :)**

 **And a bit of bad news. Last two weeks were pretty much a block. Barely any words written. And practically no plans for the parts of the plot I didn't figure out before. And currently I have only one more chapter that is completed. Good news? The project that took my time for the last week is almost done, so maybe, maybe I will manage to get back on track in December.**

 **And a reminder. My story might be sweet and romantic and all, but it's still T-rated. Just so you know...**

 **Enjoy!**

 **P.S. I had no idea for the title for this chapter. Actually scratch that. I had a good idea, but the catchiness of it was lost when I translated it to English. Pity.**

 **(* * *)**

The following two periods were pretty hectic, mainly because of Nagase-sensei's zeal. And this time she was less focused on Keima or Ayumi, keeping the entire class on its toes. Eri tried to not stand out, cringing in her seat, but Nagase approached her nonetheless, firmly stating that Eri should be ashamed of her results at her age (everyone privy enough knew she was referencing Eri's _real_ age). Chihiro chuckled at the scene, but her good mood flew out of the window a minute later when Nagase switched straight to her, trying to persuade Chihiro that she could certainly "do better than average".

Because of all that the class did not have the time or the opportunity to discuss the morning event, but even under the watchful eye of Nagase notes were passed and emails were exchanged and the rumor about Keima and Ayumi spread to the entire class. In result, by the time the break came around the atmosphere in the classroom was almost tangible.

As soon as the bell rang, Keima stood up and walked out of the room. A few heads turned around curiously, but no-one decided to follow him.

However, they did decide to crowd around Ayumi.

"Is it true, Takahara-san?" one of her female classmates asked.

"Of course it's true, I saw it myself" the second girl replied before Ayumi could even think about opening her mouth.

"Huh?" another classmate exclaimed surprised. "I thought it was a rumor like with Kanon-chan!"

"But why did you say yes?" another voice questioned. "Or were you just making fun of him? You were making fun of him, right?"

"Why did you do it? I'm much better than... him!" this time the voice was male. And sounded disappointed.

Keima was always afraid of physical contact with goddesses and crowds of girls, Ayumi recalled. So that's what he meant.

"Disperse! Disperse! There's nothing to watch here!" Chihiro half-shouted, while all but swinging her guitar case around. Miyako and Eri were helping her as well. Ayumi was thankful, but she had a distinct feeling the three of them would catch her later on and force all juicy info out of her.

Especially Miyako, who probably had no idea what was happening.

Ayumi looked out for a chance to escape and when that chance arrived she ran out of the classroom in a blur.

(* * *)

She was pretty certain the students from her class (or even other classes) would try to get to Keima, forcing him to hide in the strangest places or simply ditch the school for today. Thus she was surprised when she find him where he usually resided – on the school rooftop.

Ayumi was slowly beginning to associate their relationship with this particular place. She only hoped it won't become their love nest or something like that.

"Hey" she said when she approached him. Her voice was gentle, but Keima still stiffened instantly, before relaxing a few moments later.

"Ayumi" he acknowledged her presence in a calm voice and she sighed in relief. So he was truly back to using her first name and she hoped it would stay this way. She had enough changes lately.

"Okay, can you tell me what's going on now?" she asked, her voice calm as well.

"What do you mean?"

"You know _exactly_ what I mean" she told him. "Not so long ago you said you didn't have feelings for me, yet you asked me out now. Why?"

"Feelings are not prerequisite of going out" he stated curtly.

"You didn't answer the question" she accused. She was expecting ignorance. A sarcastic or detached remark. She didn't expect him to instantly stand up from his bench and face her.

"K-Keima?" she stuttered out.

"Why?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"Why did you even _consider_ going out with that background character?"

"Eh? Background character?" her eyes widened. "You... You're talking about-"

"Minamoto, who else?" Keima exclaimed, surprising Ayumi.

"H-how... Wait... you _knew_ he asked me out!?" she asked and Keima nodded. "How?"

"I have my methods" he replied.

"What methods?" she questioned. "You make it sound like you were eavesdropping on me and Chihiro when Minamoto-" she paused for a moment, eyes widening. "You _were_ eavesdropping!"

Keima's eyes narrowed, but he didn't deny.

"You haven't answered my question" he noticed. "Why didn't you reject him?"

Ayumi remained silent for a moment, a _very_ ridiculous thought occurring to her.

"Were you... jealous?" the question slipped past her lips without her consent.

"Huh?" Keima looked at her with a comical blank expression, before fully comprehending her words. "Jealous!? Are you joking? Why would I be jealous!?" he paused for a moment. "Was that your plan? You thought I would get jealous?"

"No!" Ayumi responded. "It's... it was supposed to be just research."

There was a moment of silence.

"Do explain" he said finally.

"I didn't have enough experience" she mumbled out, while looking at her feet, feeling her cheeks heat up. "I just wanted to... ugh... conquer the sub-heroine before going for the main, just like you said!"

Ayumi waited for a few seconds, but didn't hear Keima's response. She raised her head only to see him look at her in shock.

"Conquer the sub-heroine?" he repeated, a thick layer of shock and surprise in his voice masking the underlying admiration. "You listened? You actually _listened_ to my games strategies?"

Ayumi didn't know whether she should feel praised or insulted. Keima apparently realized what he just said, because he stepped back and pointed an accusing finger at her.

"Never mind that!" he said. "Minamoto is not a sub-heroine! He's just a background character. Up to this point he was practically a mob! An unnamed extra!"

"That's going too far!" Ayumi objected. "He's a normal guy and he's our classmate!"

"A normal guy, huh?" Keima said with unexpected amount of venom. "If that's normal then the real is even worse place than I thought."

"What do you mean?" Ayumi asked in confusion.

Keima sighed and then pulled out some small futuristic looking cylindrical device.

"What's that?"

"A recording device" Keima replied. "The one New Devils use. Haqua lent it to me. I think you should listen to it."

Ayumi felt just a tiny pang of jealousy at another mention of the devil girl hanging around Keima. But that thoughts were forgotten when Keima played the device, allowing Ayumi to hear Minamoto's voice. Among others. At first, she was scowling a little, thinking why Keima would even do a thing like this. Then she focused on what was being said and how it was being said. Her eyes widened. Then narrowed. And then she gritted her teeth.

When she finished listening to the recording she stayed quiet for a moment.

"Gimme that" Ayumi said and Keima obeyed, handing her the device. Then she turned around.

"Be right back" she said and started walking or rather stomping in the direction of the stairs.

Keima didn't stop her.

(* * *)

Despite the strong sunlight the curtains in the motorization club had been drawn, leaving the interior in semi-darkness, dispelled only by a small lamp on one of the desks. In the center of the room several teenage boys were crowded and entrancing with something in complete peace...

...until someone knocked or rather banged at the door.

"What the hell?" one of the boys mumbled.

"Ignore it" another groaned.

The knocking repeated itself.

"We're busy" the president of the club said loudly. "Go away."

In reply the doors opened despite being locked and smashed into one of the cabinets, making a rather loud "THUD!" in the process, but, unlike that one time in Keima's house, Ayumi didn't care this time around.

Actually, she didn't even notice it as she entered the clubroom.

The club president reacted quickly, trying to hide the stash of adult magazines from view, but stopped when he noticed who invaded their clubroom. And who she was looking at. And then he noticed the dreadful aura coming from the girl. In no time flat the boys moved aside, leaving Minamoto in the middle. Ayumi didn't even bother wondering what they were doing here during break.

"Everyone else. Leave and I will consider not hurting you" she said.

And she didn't have to say it twice. Soon she was alone with Minamoto.

"Ayumi?" he asked, taking one step back. "What's wrong?"

"It's Takahara- _san_ to you" she practically hissed "And I'm here to give you my answer. And here it is" she looked him in the eyes. "I'd rather die than go out with someone like you."

"What are you talking about?" Minamoto asked, feigning ignorance. Ayumi showed him the device. And started it.

"Wanna explain that to me?" she asked after stopping the recording half-way. There was no need to listen to everything for the second time.

"H-how... did you get it?" Minamoto asked in panic.

So he wasn't even denying anything. There goes the chance for a pacifist ending here.

"Let's see if I got this right" Ayumi started, getting closer. Minamoto backed again, but his back hit another cabinet after just two steps. "Just because you had some experience with girls you thought you were Casanova enough to bet with you friends that you could, how did you put it? Right... that you could get any girl into bed with you in a week" she practically spat the phrase.

"That's not-"

"And" she interrupted him. "Then your _friends_ demanded that you bang this 'Takahara chick with a rack from your class', is that it?"

Ayumi was furious. She didn't remember when was the last time she felt like that. It wasn't her regular embarrassed anger when dealing with Keima. It was long beyond "hot anger" stage. Now it was a "cold fury" stage. And she knew exactly why she felt like this. Boys. They majority of them were always the same. She knew. Since long ago she had always known this.

While her anger rose, it was being more and more cold in nature, making Ayumi look as if she had calmed down. And maybe that was why Minamoto suddenly started to look less afraid and decided to speak up.

"Don't dramatize!" he told her. "That's how the world is!"

"The world?" she repeated, trying and failing to keep her voice down. "How about me? Did you ever, for a moment, thought about my _reputation_?"

"Your reputation?" Minamoto repeated with much more cynicism than she remembered him for. "It's funny that you mentioned that. Actually, your reputation would've improved if you went along and dated me."

"What do you mean?" Ayumi asked, actually curious.

"You don't know?" Minamoto smiled at her. "You've been hanging with that dull as ditchwater girl Kosaka since forever and now you're hanging out with the _otamega_ out of all people" he exclaimed. "Hell, there is even a rumor the two of you are dating for God's sake!"

The comments about Chihiro (and lately Keima) had always managed to rile her easily, yet she remained mostly collected. However, when Minamoto mentioned her and Keima going out as if it was the worst thing in the world she couldn't stand still anymore.

"What was that?" she demanded while grabbing him by the front of his shirt. By the look on his face this wasn't how he envisioned getting close to her. "What do you mean a rumor? Weren't you there when Keima asked me out today?"

"What? He really asked you out?" Minamoto mumbled out, before his eyes widened. "Don't tell me you-"

"Yes, I agreed and we're dating right now" Ayumi responded. Truth be told, claiming that the two of them were together was a vast understatement, but she didn't care.

"So it's true" Minamoto's voice brought her to attention. "You're really just a slutty skank that doesn't care who you're fu-"

Ayumi thought she would feel guilty about dislocating his jaw. But she didn't.

"If I ever find you saying bad things about Chihiro or Keima" Ayumi told him a few kicks later. "Or bothering them in any way, then I'll make you suffer. And then I will bring other people that will make you suffer more. And then I'll go fetch Nagase-sensei and Nikaidō-sensei. And believe me, you don't have any idea what that would entail. You truly don't."

And then she walked out of the clubroom.

(* * *)

She had been intending to calm down on the way back to the rooftop, but she didn't even manage to reach the end of the corridor when she heard a voice.

"Ayumi."

She spun around and her eyes widened in surprise, when she saw Keima leaning against the wall, his expression calm and serious, his PFP nowhere in sight. Was she so angry she just walked past him without noticing him?

"Do you understand now?" he asked her in a monotone voice.

Ayumi wasn't so sure. She understood a part of what happened, but not all of it. She was just opening her mouth to answer when she noticed that Keima's face suddenly turned from serious calmness to a comical mix of shock and fear. Ayumi was wondering why he was making a face like that when she heard another voice.

And cringed.

"Katsuragi-kun! Takahara-san!" Nagase-sensei half-walked, half-trotted to the two of them and Ayumi found herself grateful that they were currently the only people in the corridor.

"Ugh... what is it sensei?" Ayumi asked, trying not to panic. Could the other guys from the motorization club have told on her wrecking their club room? If that was the case then Nagase would give her a big scolding and even winning the prefectural meet wouldn't save her.

Thus, Ayumi was greatly surprised when Nagase practically ignored her and leaned closer to Keima with a stern look on her face.

"Katsuragi-kun!" she started in a scolding voice. "Are you trying to use another girl for one of your schemes again?"

"Huh?" Keima reacted. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean!" Jun got even closer to him, shaking him by his shoulders. "Kosaka-san just told me you asked Takahara-san out without really meaning it! You just need to have a girlfriend for something, right? Just like you used that other girl before the festival last year, so you could find out whether my memories were altered or not!"

"That's not what's happening here..." Keima mumbled out with difficulty.

"Nagase-sensei, please stop!" Ayumi said while trying to separate the two of them.

"Takahara-san" Jun turned to her with a scowl. "How can you go along with this!? You need to make him take responsibility!"

"I _planned_ to take responsibility!" Keima almost shouted. A second later both women registered what he just said.

"Huh?" they both exclaimed with almost equal, confused expressions on their faces.

"I just saved Ayumi from a very dangerous route leading to a bad ending and this is what I get!?" he pointed his finger at Jun. "You should have more trust in me as a teacher!"

Jun blinked once. Then twice.

"You mean..." she started.

"Yes, me and Ayumi are going out!" Keima announced and, as to prove his point, he grabbed Ayumi's hand. The runner stirred and looked down at their joined hands, her mind becoming hazy.

"Now, if you excuse us, we would like to spend the rest of our lunch break in private" Keima said and started to drag Ayumi with him, leaving Jun standing in the middle of the corridor and trying to comprehend the impossible.

(* * *)

Ayumi was back on the rooftop, sitting on the bench, trying to properly processes today's events, but with little success. She kept telling herself that she was a strong seventeen-year old girl. Scratch that! She was almost eighteen! She was a woman. Something trivial like holding hands should have no effect on her...

Yet her hand was still tingling and the more she tried to make it stop the stronger it became. Why was this happening? Could it be because Keima was the one who initiated the contact this time? Wait... she doesn't even know _why_ he did that. And she wanted... no, needed to know. Thus, she cleared her throat before speaking to the person sitting next to her.

"Umm... Keima?"

The sounds of his fingers clicking the buttons on his PFP didn't change their rhythm or frequency. His eyes didn't even budge. But he did answer.

"Yes?"

"This time I don't want to... misunderstand anything" Ayumi started, trying to keep her voice from cracking. "So could you tell me, slowly and calmly, what happened?"

For a second or two Keima didn't really react. Then she heard the jingle indicating he reached a save point in his game (huh? Since when she was able to distinguish things like _that_?) and then he put his PFP back in his pocket.

And sighed.

"Let's sort things out then" he said, turning to her. "First of all, do you understand what happened with that _background character_?" he practically spat the last part, something he didn't usually do.

Ayumi looked at her lap for a moment and then nodded her head.

"I know what he wanted to do" she started. "...and I think I own you an apology. And a thank you."

Keima only nodded, but she noticed that the motion was somehow stiff and detached.

"Second" he continued. "Do you understand what I did?"

"No, I don't!" she exclaimed, hardly able to stay seated. "And I would like to understand it before the lunch break is over!"

"I asked you out to save you from that background character's route" he confirmed the obvious, but it still hit her like a ton of bricks.

Something then occurred to her.

"Wait... then your strange behavior the last few days..."

"What do you think?" Keima answered with a question, struggling to maintain his cool. "I would've never thought you would seriously consider a mob like him! One day passed. Two days passed. And yet you still were not rejecting him! I thought you were just using him, trying to coerce me into taking action" Keima then stood up and pointed an accusing finger at her. "But then I started to think that you were seriously trying to conquer him!"

"So you were acting so strange because you were trying to decide whether to interfere or not?" Ayumi asked, still not fully believing it.

"More or less, yes" Keima replied curtly, looking tired. He was actually looking tired.

"Wait... why didn't you just tell me about this instead of acting like that?" she questioned.

"Because I thought you were doing it deliberately!" Keima replied. "What would you've thought if I came up to you and said 'don't go out with him'?"

"I would have thought you were sick or something. Probably" she admitted. Keima did have a point there, but it didn't change the result.

The result was that it was a messed up situation. Again. And it was all her fault. She tried to do something and it was because of her that the things ended up like this. Her chances with Keima actually took a dive. Not only that, she also put a considerable stress on him. She made him ask out a real girl like her.

Of course that was what she had been planning from the beginning... but he was supposed to do this because he wanted it, not because she'd messed up. Going out with a real girl... wasn't it like the worst insult there could be when it came to Keima? What... what if he was going to hold a grudge against her?

No... she couldn't let it happen. She must stop this. She'd done enough damage already.

"Alright" she stood up, surprising him. "We need to solve this misunderstanding."

"What do you mean?" he asked. "What misunderstanding?"

"With the two of us going out!" she stood up, annoyed. Wasn't he supposed to be a genius or something like that? "Even Nagase-sensei thinks it was for real!"

Keima looked at her with his sharp gaze. The gaze that made her feel like he was looking inside her soul.

"What do you mean 'she thinks it was real'?" he asked in a serious voice. "It was real."

"I... don't understand" Ayumi stammered out.

Keima sighed for the umpteenth time today and then faced her.

"It seems I can't trust your choice of romance partners and I can't leave you alone" he said. "Moreover, I asked you out fully knowing what I was doing. It's done."

"Wait... wait, wait, wait!" she stepped back, hoping that her face was only half as red as she thought. "You mean... you mean the two of us are going out for real?!"

"Seems like it" he replied with a tired face and then continued when he saw her dumbstruck expression. "What's with that face? Isn't it what you wanted? Didn't you say you'll wait for me to ask you out, first? Didn't you say you'll catch me anywhere anyway?"

She nodded her head, trying to stay on her feet. This was too good to be true...

"However" Keima spoke again, snapping her attention back to him. "This doesn't mean I'm going to give in into the real" he repositioned his glasses. "I still believe your efforts are pointless in the end, but I'll give us a chance. As long as you don't mind to be girlfriend of the otamega then I don't mind as well. Of course, you're free to walk away any time if you find someone better. Just be sure to introduce your target next time, so we can avoid any more situations like this."

"Are you my _boyfriend_ or _matchmaker_ then?" Ayumi asked, unable to decide between being surprised, annoyed or, as strange as it sounded, happy.

"Both. Now come" he replied as soon as the bell rang. "As my girlfriend your duty is now to protect me from Chihiro's wrath."

(* * *)

"Let's see if I got this right" the band leader said after a moment of silence. "That bastard Minamoto wanted to... use Ayumi and you decided to foil his plan by officially going out with Ayumi, but it's still a sham, is that right?"

"No" Keima shot back, leaning back, fearing that Chihiro's hands will find their way to his throat even with Ayumi sitting in between them. "It's not a sham. We are really going out."

"Oh, really?" Chihiro's asked, her voice practically dripping with sarcasm. "You don't exactly look like a pair of love birds... although Ayumi's definitely doing a good job."

Keima didn't have to ask Chihiro what she meant – Ayumi's face was all red to the point of steaming.

"I'm not saying we're love birds" he countered. "I'm just giving us a chance."

"You're saying it as if you didn't believe it could work out!" she accused.

"Damn right I don't" he replied. "This route can only end with Ayumi leaving when she's ready to do so."

"Did you hear that?!" Chihiro turned to Ayumi. "Are you really going to go along with it?" Ayumi only nodded in response.

Chihiro continued to look at her for a moment and then shook her head.

"I don't get you. Neither of you and-"

"Hey, Chihiro!" a new voice interrupted and all three of them knew who it was before they even recognized the voice.

"Miyako" Chihiro acknowledged. "What's up?"

"It's time for our practice. Yui and Eri are waiting" Miyako replied, but then noticed that Keima was also here. "Oh... Katsuragi... I heard about you and Ayumi. Congratulations are in order, I guess..." her voice trailed off.

Ayumi and Chihiro looked at each other. Both remembered Miyako once had said that "someone like Katsuragi won't find anyone who'd like to marry him", so this sudden development was probably a huge surprise for her as well. Even if she was one of the few to never pick on Keima she still thought he was no good with girls.

On the other hand, Eri had once said that soon enough "every girl in the world will fall in love with my big brother!". Her claim back then had turned out to be much more accurate than Miyako's, but even Eri was shocked when Keima had asked Ayumi out.

Keima nodded in response to Miyako's words and a short embarrassing silence ensued, prompting Ayumi to stand up.

"So, we should get going, right?" she said and started to drag Miyako away.

"Katsuragi" Chihiro spoke when the two other girls were out of hearing range, making Keima cringe a little.

"Yes?"

"Just to be clear" she glared at him. "I know you're planning something."

"Of course I do" he responded. "I'm trying to give Ayumi a route she deserves. Until such a route is found she will remain with me."

"She doesn't want that other route" Chihiro noticed. "She wants you."

"No, she doesn't" Keima said back. "I'm the otamegane. I can't be with her. She wouldn't be happy with me. She deserves someone better."

Chihiro sighed and stood up as well. "Talking with you is useless... Anyway, I'll be keeping an eye on you. I won't let you hurt Ayumi again."

"It's funny how you all seem to mostly ignore the times when I was hurt" he remarked. "Both physically and mentally."

"You deserved most of it" Chihiro countered. "Anyway, if you make Ayumi sad or angry, or dump her-"

"She will be the one who'll dump me... but I get what you're trying to say" Keima paused for a moment. "And I don't get why you're so hostile. I don't want to _hurt_ her. I want to _help_ her."

"Yes, but you have no idea how a real girl's mind and heart work" Chihiro reminded him. "You might have good intentions, but that alone means nothing. You can make a terrible mess with your conquests."

"Look who's talking" he glared at her. "And it's your fault, you reals! I would be able to do a much better job if you tried to conform to the game ideals better!"

"Yeah, yeah... blah blah blah" Chihiro completely ignored his remark. "You heard me, so you better be good to Ayumi. Now I need to get to the band practice or they'll remove me from the position of the band leader... so see you later!"

And with this she left Keima alone on the rooftop.

It couldn't be helped, he thought. If he hadn't done this, then Ayumi could be in danger. Of course, she would be able to handle it, but she would get hurt anyway. And he didn't want to see her hurt. Real girls might be annoying imperfections, but he had never wanted to see them hurt. Or crying.

And while he wouldn't say it out loud, he had changed. Ayumi wasn't just one of millions of real girls in this real world. She was Ayumi, the host of Mercury and the first real girl he conquered. He not only wanted to not see her sad. He wanted to see her happy.

Imperfect as she was, Keima's job was now to guide her to the ending.

So Keima didn't really have a choice. However, that was no consolation – he still needed to go through with this and survive this.

Survive going out with a real girl.

This was bound to get really troublesome. He sighed. Well, no use crying over spilt milk, he concluded while unpausing his game.

He might as well play while he still can.

 **(* * *)**

 **So there is it. Not what you expected... I hope. And to answer Hikigaya's review: you know what? I don't feel bad for Minamoto at all... Anyway,** **the strange relationship between Ayumi and Keima has started. I wonder how long will it last? xD  
**

 **For those wondering "how come the characters are alone in the corridor during lunch break in a school with over thousand students?" The answer has "manga and fanfiction rules" in there somewhere. :)**

 **Also I assume Ayumi is seventeen at the moment. Just so you know.**

 **The references in this chapter are brought to you by Matrix Reloaded (2003) and Guardians of the galaxy (2014).**

 **And by Serenity (2005). Kind of. Also Keima's "Let's sort things out" seems familiar, right? xD  
**

 **As usual, you're encouraged to drop me a review! They do help a lot!**

 **Anyway, the next chapter should appear on next Thursday. Or next Friday. Or next Saturday. We'll see.**

 **See you next time!**

 **(* * *)**

 **And here's the next pokémake, this time for Tenri, Diana and Nora! Or actually half of it... because it's so long. Enjoy:  
**

 **Summer vacation is here!**

 **Keima used Happy Hour! Keima's special defense rose!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Childhood friend Tenri appears!**

 **Tenri used Pop-The-Bubble-Wrap. Nothing happened.**

 **Keima used Amnesia. Keima is confused!**

 **Elsie appears! Elsie used Bestow. Keima has a vicious marimo!**

 **Doro! Doro! Doro! Huh? Elsie is confused!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Elsie used Nag. It doesn't affect Keima!**

 **Real used Earthquake. It's super effective! Keima's games are damaged!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Tenri appears. Tenri is confused! Tenri is thrashing about! Tenri used Tackle. Keima is shoved onto the street!**

 **Truck appears. Truck used Rollout. But it missed.**

 **(* * *)**

 **Tenri appears. Tenri used Coffee Doubleslap. Keima is burned!**

 **Keima used Rage. Keima's attack rose!**

 **Tenri got away safely.**

 **Keima used Pursuit. Keima used Chatter.**

 **? ? ? used Baton Pass. ? ? ? used Glare. Keima is confused!**

 **? ? ? used Don't Protect. Keima is confused!**

 **Elsie appears! Doro! Doro! Doro!**

 **? ? ? used Bounce. ? ? ? fell down. ? ? ? kept falling and... didn't crash.  
**

 **(* * *)**

 **Nora and Ryou appear!**

 **Nora and Ryou used Chatter. Ryou used Petal Dance.**

 **(* * *)**

 **Tenri used Chatter.**

 **? ? ? appears. ? ? ? used Mirror Move. ? ? ? used Chatter.**

 **(* * *)**

 **Ryou appears! Ryou used Chatter. It's not very effective.**

 **Tenri got away safely... but it failed! Nora appears!**

 **Nora used Hagoromo. Nora used Foresight. It's super effectve! Tenri's desires are revealed!**

 **Nora used Lock On. Nora has her sights on Keima now!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Tenri appears! Tenri used Tackle. The games are damaged!**

 **Keima used Rage. Keima's attack rose! Keima used Fury Swipes.**

 **Tenri used Warning. Keima is confused!**

 **Nora appears! Nora used Vine Whip. Nora used Constrict. Keima is unable to move!**

 **Ryou used Writing Kanji. But it failed.**

 **(* * *)**

 **Keima used Struggle. But it failed!**

 **Tenri and Elsie appear! Tenri and Elsie used Chatter. It doesn't affect Nora.**

 **Nora used Hagoromo. Nora used Reflect. It's super effectve!**

 **Yokkyun appears! Elsie, Nora and Ryou are confused! Tenri used Giggle.  
**

 **Nora used Guillotine. One hit KO! Yokkyun fainted!**

 **Keima used Scary Face. Keima used Screech. Keima's defense harshly fell!**

 **Keima used Screech. Keima shouted "LOAD!". Hit many times! Nora flinched!**

 **Keima used Load Game. Nothing happened. Nora is confused!**

 **Keima used Bounce. Keima used Take Down. Keima and Nora used Splash. Keima and Nora used Dive.**

 **Keima used Mean Look. Nora is unable to escape!**

 **Keima used Rage. Keima's attack greatly rose! Keima used Chatter. Nora used Apologize. But it failed!**

 **Keima used Pursuit. But it missed!**

 **Nora got away safely!**

 **Tenri used Apologize. ? ? ? used Baton Pass. ? ? ? switched places with Tenri! ? ? ? used Protect.**

 **To be continued...**


	9. Flag 29: The invitation

**Hello! Xellos540 here! I'm back with the newest chapters of AyumiNomi... which unfortunately is kind of late...  
**

 **Anyway, I would like to thank for all you support for this story, including reviews. Here are replies:**

 **– To gonzalorp94: about Keima and his feelings... We'll see about that. As for the orb... that is a complicated matter and I would like no to go into details while the story is in progress... But... why do you assume orb needs power right now? It might have just swapped "world" and those world now "move" on their own as usual. Something like that. As for college and so on. I am tempted to include parts of their later life, but short parts. This story is already larger than originally intended. :/  
**

 **– To Ryuumaru Kara: seems we agree on this one. Well... Haqua is actually appearing quite a lot in this fanfic, it seems...  
**

 **– To Refraction of Light: aah... Keima a magnificent bastard. Or maybe not. Anyway, for now he has no plan to fall for Ayumi. :P**

 **– To Sir sleeps-a-lot: well, I believe "reason" and "emotion" don't necessarily exclude each other, so I'm not really sure Keima was cold. Methodical? Yes. Calm? Yes? And yes, Keima knows little about real-life relationships. And he will try. Probably. Let us hope. And thank for good words – the project (or rather its application) is more or less done.**

 **– To Shawn Raven: I imagined the dislocation to be done by punch for some reason, but your interpretation is probably the correct one :]**

 **– To ZelgadisGW: well, you're probably one of the people here with the better understanding of the pokémakes. :] And you _do_ know more than the others about the future chapters. But even you don't know where this is going. :)  
**

 **Another thing: it seems the forum is growing nicely and I once again encourage readers to contribute in the discussion.**

 **I also have a particular KamiNomi idea in mind, somewhat relevant to my previous "KamiNomiNai" fanfiction. Maybe in a few weeks you'll hear more. :)**

 **An update of my writing progress: Flag 30 was, more or less, done yesterday, but my writing speed is still unsatisfactory. So far, I'm fighting off this crisis, but I'm not a miracle worker. Thus the next update will probably take longer than a week.**

 **The plot holes corner: I was rereading The World God Only Knows On The Train and (re)learned that Ayumi's specialty is the hurdle. And then I realized I gave her the wrong role during the prefectural meet, based mostly on sprinting and relay. I'm sorry for that mistake -.-' Now I've got to go, as it seems a certain fast-as-a-bullet schoolgirl is chasing me.  
**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(* * *)**

The next day Ayumi woke up feeling rather strange. She was no longer single. Right now she officially had a boyfriend... she was dating the boy who stole her first kiss and managed to steal her heart within a week. Normally she would be elated in a situation like this.

However, she was fully aware that the actual progress was none to little.

She tried to remain positive. At least she was officially Keima's girlfriend now, so the other girls won't be able to stake a claim on him... On the other hand there was that "taken guys are much more popular than singles" theory... which could mean trouble.

Especially, in the case of Yui. The drummer hadn't been acting strange yesterday, so she hadn't heard about her and Keima yet. And Miyako and Eri for once didn't say anything inconvenient.

Ayumi sighed as she headed for the bathroom for her morning hygiene. The problem was what to do now? And what would Keima do? Will he remain neutral? Or will he try to discourage her? She didn't know the answer.

And the worst part was that Ayumi, for the first time in a really long time, felt the desire to preen. That irrational girly need to dress up for the boy she liked. But that seemed pointless as well – Keima didn't care about her looks.

Actually, this was really ironic, she thought as she looked at her almost nude form in the mirror. For most of her teenage years she considered her breasts a neutral thing at best and a nuisance at other times. They impeded her running, they garnered unwanted attention and only continued to get bigger. Still, guys liked breasts, right? I mean, she wasn't going to use her body to seduce Keima (even though Mercury tried to convince her otherwise), but her figure should be a positive factor, right?

Yet, Keima remained completely immune to bodies of real girls... meaning that her breasts were completely useless!

Ayumi changed into her school uniform and ten minutes later she left her house. She planned to jog to school to clear her mind, but the plan failed as soon as she went past her gate and onto the street.

"Good morning, Ayumi-san!" she blinked when she heard her name being called and turned, surprised to see someone waiting in front of her house.

"Eri?" Ayumi questioned. "What are you doing here?"

"We're going to school together, of course!" the firetruck-lover replied happily.

Ayumi continued to look at her for a second or two. Then a thought occurred to her and she turned to her right.

She was only mildly surprised when she saw Keima playing a game while leaning against the wall.

"Morning" he greeted her nonchalantly.

"Good morning" Ayumi heard herself reply.

"Umm... I'm going to go ahead a bit" Eri told them, shot her brother a half-worried and half-scolding gaze and then started walking away in an obvious attempt to give them some alone time.

And Ayumi's mind immediately went into panic mode.

(* * *)

"Was this your idea or Eri's? Walking together to school, I mean" Ayumi spoke up a few minutes later, finally managing to break the silence. However, she said it a little too roughly, as if she was scolding him. And she wasn't. Keima didn't do anything wrong. Ayumi was just... unprepared.

"Neither" Keima responded, seemingly ignoring her harsh tone. "Walking to school together is a common event in games."

Ayumi nodded, her eyes fixed in front of her, busying herself with observing Eri who was walking ahead of them, just outside of hearing range. The runner went silent again, trying to get a hold of herself, but it was difficult. She wasn't good at deep thinking. Was it Keima's goal all along? To drive her into a corner? To make her unable to make a move? Or was he just testing her?

"By the way" Keima's voice brought her out of her musings. "This might be a good opportunity to establish some rules."

Ayumi sighed. She should've been expecting something like that.

"First" Keima started. "No bodily contact without warning."

"Says the guy who tried to embrace me without warning when he couldn't say he loved me properly" she noticed sarcastically.

"Second" Keima pretended he didn't hear her comment. "No interfering with my gaming time."

"Why?" Ayumi questioned, rediscovering that fighting spirit she had back when the rumor of Keima and Kanon had been spreading. "Just admit that your games are more important to you then I am."

"Games are my oxygen" he countered. "I would like to see _you_ stop breathing just to be with me. Besides, I'm not interfering with your running or playing on your guitar, right?"

"That's different!" she snapped. "I've just won the most important competition of my life so far! Running is not just a hobby for me!"

"And I've helped thousands of lost lambs _worldwide_. I'm a world-class gamer, while you're a country-class runner. I don't see why my gaming would be considered inferior to your running."

Ayumi glared at him, but couldn't really find any retort. Maybe Keima was a hopeless nerd, but he had a point nonetheless.

"And third" Keima continued. "No coming to my house or introducing yourself to my family. And no introducing _me_ to _your_ family."

"Yeah, yeah, I know" Ayumi waved her hand at him before tossing him a sharp gaze. "You _do_ know that my parents kinda know you already?"

"That doesn't count" Keima retorted. "Besides, what did you tell them after the festival?"

"You're asking that _now_?" Ayumi was actually angry right now. "How about asking that four or five months ago, when I needed it!?"

"I'm sorry, alright?" he admitted and something in his voice made her anger just melt away. She sighed.

"I told my parents that it was a stupid bet you and me have lost" she answered his previous question. "And they weren't amused."

"I'm sorry" Keima repeated. Neither knew why he said that again.

"It's fine, don't worry about it" Ayumi breathed out. "So? Any more rules I should know about?"

"It's not really a rule" Keima said. "But I guess it would be nice if you could, ugh... protect me from Yui and the other girls."

His words made Ayumi realize that they still had Yui to deal with. Suddenly, a practice session of 2-B pencils didn't seem so tempting anymore.

(* * *)

Ayumi was fairly popular and not just in her track and field club. She was a star athlete, the flashy guitarist of 2-B pencils and she participated in the Pri Pri Mai High conquest. And it later turned out she even managed to get a third place in that conquest. In short – Ayumi was almost famous. Not on the level of Kanon or Mio, but still.

On the other hand, Keima was pretty infamous. His involvement with girls did little to improve his bad (and only partly undeserved) reputation. Thus, Ayumi had expected the rumors to fly. She expected people would talk behind their backs. She expected her own reputation to drop by dating him.

But she wasn't prepared what awaited them on their way to class. Students that were near the school gate seemed to recognize them instantly and started to whisper between each other. Ayumi was grateful she couldn't hear most of it. Still, she knew they weren't whispers of encouragement. Most likely everyone was asking themselves the same question.

Why would a pretty, nice and skilled girl as Ayumi would want to go out with a weirdo like Katsuragi? Did he blackmail her into dating her? Did he put a spell on her? Well, he kind of _did_ put a spell on her before, Ayumi thought.

A powerful spell called love.

Apparently, the students all viewed Keima as the otamegane, not aware of his brilliant mind, passion for his ideals and the caring side he was slowly discovering in himself. And Ayumi wasn't amused by this – her fists clenched a little, the perspective of giving those unwanted audience a piece of her mind tempting.

And from what she could hear it seemed that a considerable part of the audience didn't believe the rumors at first and right now they were openly staring at Ayumi and Keima. Were the rumors true, after all? That's impossible! Maybe it's just a coincidence they're just walking next to each other? Yes, that must be it. Maybe they're just friends? Then again, why would they be friends in the first place?

All of this was a troublesome surprise. But it wasn't the only one, as Ayumi started to look out for some _specific_ people in the crowd.

And she did find them.

Tsukiyo and Shiori were sitting on a bench under one of the trees. The bibliophile had her face almost completely covered by some book with only one eye peeking curiously. Tsukiyo seemed unaware of the scene taking place, but when her eyes meet Ayumi's the runner could swear the blond girl nodded slightly. It could mean approval or permission. Or both of them.

Ayumi looked to the left of the bench and noticed Minami watching her next to the tree. The swimmer had obviously planned to spy on them from behind the tree, but she clearly forgot to hide due to shock. Ayumi hoped she was just surprised, not disappointed.

Soon Ayumi and Keima entered the high school building, still making heads turn. However, now they were no longer in open space, meaning greater student density. Meaning whispers were getting louder and Ayumi couldn't stop her face from turning red.

And then she saw another two figures. Urara and Nikaidō-sensei were looking at them from the floor above them. They weren't standing too close to each other, but not far either. The Shiratori heiress was wearing a satisfied smile, as if saying "I told you so, Keima. You can't escape from the real". Nikaidō was also smiling, but it was a different smile. Small. Fake.

And frightening.

For a moment Ayumi thought Nikaidō was simply jealous... it was ridiculous, but still scary prospect. And then she realized she was wrong – Nikaidō wasn't looking at her. She was looking at Keima. It wasn't a "get away from my onii-chan!" message.

It was a "break another girl's heart and you'll have to deal with me!" message.

The whole time Keima either was totally unaffected by all of this or was hiding his uneasiness perfectly. And Ayumi wanted to know which was it.

A minute later she had to take it back...

"Hey, Takahara!" some male voice called after her, making her stop. Keima did the same, but only after two more steps. And he didn't stop his gaming. Not that Ayumi expected him to. She turned around and saw three guys. They were third years and Ayumi suddenly felt thankful she was a third year now as well.

"What is it?" she asked, trying for a neutral tone.

"You know what is it" the guy in the front said back in a cocky way. He was apparently the leader. And tall. And handsome. "Why are you walking with _him_ in open like this?" he asked pointing at Keima.

"He has a name, you know!" Ayumi countered, already eager to do some ass kicking. Literally.

"You didn't answer my question" the boy noticed.

"It's none of your business" she replied. "But if you must know, Keima's my boyfriend."

This seemed to actually surprise them. Apparently, they didn't believe the rumors as well.

"You must be kidding me. Why would you date a loser like him? Hey, otamegane!" he called to Keima. "What did you do to our Takahara-san here?!"

" _Your_ Takahara-san?" Ayumi hissed, but they ignored it. However, they _did_ react to Keima's single word.

"Parsleys."

"What was that?" the guy behind the leader questioned. "Who're you calling parsl-OUCH!" he exclaimed when something bumped into him. Hard.

"Watch where you're going, you commoner!"

All five of them blinked and tilted their heads when they saw Mio Aoyama out of all people.

"Watch where I'm going?" the guy repeated. "You were the one who bumped into me!"

"Whaaat?! How dare you!" Mio exclaimed, although it was clear the boy was right.

A second later Keima for the first time in his life saw Mio actually use her horse whip.

And with considerable skill.

"Stop it! Stop!" the boy screamed, while trying to run away from the short girl.

"Get back here, you lowlife!" the blond yelled after him with an angry expression, although Ayumi could swear she saw Mio wink at her.

"We wasted enough time" Keima spoke, turning around. "Let's go."

"Hey!" the leader walked up to him. "I'm not done talking to you! Are you list-"

THUD!

Both of them, Keima and the leader, jumped in fear when something embedded itself into a wall between them. Even Ayumi was startled – the wall looked just like when she used to crash into it... only worse.

"What the?" the leader said in fear.

"Ganging on a defenseless girl and a weak boy, huh?" a voice asked, making a shiver travel down all of their spines.

"Ku-Ku-Kusunoki-sempai?" the leader asked, clearly shocked. Ayumi couldn't blame him – she was surprised herself. "Didn't you graduate just recently? What are you doing here?"

The inheritor of the Kasuga dojo was standing between the leader and Keima, an aura of power practically oozing of her. The expression on her face was stony.

"Yes, I've graduated, I'm here representing my dojo" Kusunoki said, pointing to her clothes. She was wearing her training keikogi instead of the Mai High uniform. "I was doing some formal business with my former club, when I saw _this_."

It sounded logical, but Ayumi was certain Kusunoki came to school for a different matter altogether.

"About this, we can explain" the boy said. "You see, this is a case of forcing a relationship, I'm sure you understand!"

"I do" Kusunoki replied. "I understand everything. Unlike you three. Takahara-san, Katsuragi-san, go ahead." she said while cracking her knuckles. "I'll take out the trash."

"Thank you" Keima replied, before he resumed walking. Ayumi followed after him, chuckling nervously as the sounds of the beating reached her ears.

"Ok, that was weird" Ayumi spoke after a minute. "I hope that was the last of it."

"No, it's not" Keima replied.

"What are you talking about?" Ayumi questioned. "We're almost at our classroom!"

"Exactly" Keima shrunk a little. "This means the end of the level. And the end of the level means a boss fight."

"Boss fight?" Ayumi repeated.

Keima didn't answer. Maybe because he didn't feel like doing it. Or maybe because he was knocked down to the ground by someone.

"Darling!" Yui exclaimed earnestly.

"Ayumi! Help me!" Keima yelled from under the drummer.

It took Ayumi full two seconds to compose herself. And then she smirked.

Keima didn't like that.

"Want me to help you?" Ayumi cooed. "No problem" her smile grew even wider. "If you agree to go on a real date with me."

Keima visibly paled at that.

"You... you... how could you?" he questioned. "Who's forcing who now, you sly tricky real woman!?"

"Is that a compliment?" Ayumi chirped, obviously enjoying the situation. "So? What it's going to be?"

"Fine, fine, you win!" Keima replied. "Now help me!"

Ayumi chuckled and proceeded to lift Yui off Keima.

"Hey!" the drummer girl objected. "What are you-oh... It's you, Ayumi."

"What do you mean 'it's you'?" Ayumi asked. "Didn't you see me?"

"Nope, I was too focused on darling" Yui replied, making the runner sweatdrop. "Huh? Where did he go?"

Keima was indeed gone, wisely exploiting Yui's momentarily lack of attention.

"Darn, I have to chase him again" the drummer said, but was stopped by Ayumi's extended palm.

"Oh no, you don't" the runner said firmly. "You stay right here!"

Yui blinked. "Why?"

"Because Keima's my boyfriend" Ayumi announced. "He's my darling now."

"So it's true, huh?" Yui put her hands on her hips and leaned forward, her forehead puckering. "Is that a battle declaration then?" the cross-dressing girl asked. Apparently competition was only spurring her on. Not that it was any surprise by now.

"No, it's not" Ayumi countered. "The battle is over and you've lost. Deal with it" she knew it was a little cruel, but she needed to say it bluntly for her words to have any effect on Yui.

"Aah... this battle might be lost, but there's still a war to win" the tomboy said with conviction. "I shall win Keima-kun's heart yet!"

"For that you'd have to go through me" Ayumi replied seriously, but inside she was kinda glad. It wasn't looking as if Yui was to take offense and quit 2-B pencils or something like that.

"C'mon... Mercury is younger then Mars, so you should listen to me" Yui reasoned.

"But I'm older than you!" Ayumi countered, arms crossed over her chest.

The two girls continued to stare at each other for a few moments – Yui's radiant smile meeting Ayumi's scowl.

"Until the next battle then. I'll see you at the band practice" the drummer said finally before turning around and walking away. Ayumi remained unmoving until the other girl disappeared around the corner and then sighed in relief.

This was promising to turn into a chore in the future. Well... no-one said dating Keima was going to be easy.

Speaking of Keima. She should be going to class. Who knows what awaits her there.

(* * *)

To her surprise the atmosphere in class was okay. Of course it wasn't nowhere near normal – everyone was throwing Ayumi and Keima curious glances, but no-one was saying anything and the runner didn't know what it meant.

Did they accept the situation? Or did they thought Ayumi was now a loser just like Keima? Maybe they didn't believe the rumors as well?

Kodama-sensei was tormenting someone as usual with most students trying to avoid being noticed by him, Keima and Miyako being one of the few exceptions. Eri in particular tried to appear invisible every time Kodama was starting to look around.

Ayumi was also a vulnerable target, but she sighed in relief when Kodama went back to the blackboard to do what was promising to be a boring lecture. Ayumi pulled out her phone out of her bag to kill the time. And that was when she noticed she had new email.

Actually, she had more than one. She didn't have them half an hour ago. What could it be? With this thought she opened the first mail.

And her jaw dropped.

 _Ayumi-san, congratulations for you and Keima-kun! I wanted to tell you this in person, but manager-san wouldn't let me go to school today. Anyway, I wish you a lot of luck!_

 _P.S. Say, can I make a song about you two? Without using your real names of course, hehe._

 _Love, Kanon_

Ayumi remained unmoving for a few moments, her eyes focused on her phone and garnering some attention from Miyako and Chihiro. Even Kodama's sudden yell directed at Eri wasn't enough to bring her back to reality.

Then she felt something hit the side of her head slightly. It was Chihiro who threw a ball of paper at her and then raised her eyebrow as if asking "what's wrong?". Ayumi only shook her head and went back to her phone.

And sure enough, the other emails were congratulatory messages as well.

 _Congratulations, senpai!_ – this simple one was from Minami, who apparently recovered enough by now.

 _So the two of ya hooked up, huh? That's crazy! Take care of keima, will ya?_ – Keima's name was written without the capital, making Ayumi suspect Nanaka meant it like a shōgi piece.

 _Congrats! By the way, our restaurant is a great place for a date in the evenings!_ – was Sumire trying to promote her restaurant or was she hoping to get some juicy details out of her?

 _I knew my sister couldn't win without my support, but that was quick. Just remember to play safe kids!_ – how in the blazes did _Hinoki_ knew about this? And what did she mean by "play safe"?

"Takahara!" this time Kodama's voice reached her. "If you have enough time to play with you phone then translate this sentence into English!"

(* * *)

"So what was that all about?" Chihiro asked when the class was over.

Ayumi just showed the other girl her phone.

"Well, it seems you don't have to worry about competition outside of Yui" Chihiro commented. "Although it's amazing how fast gossip spreads."

"Yeah" Ayumi replied, trying to ignore some of the classmates giving her curious looks. Keima remained ignorant throughout this event, but that might have something to do with his Virtual PFP.

"That reminds me" Chihiro spoke again. "Is it gonna be a romantic date just the two of you next week or are you planning the usual?"

Ayumi blinked. "Next week?"

Chihiro chuckled. "I'm talking about your birthday, silly."

Ayumi's eyes widened. "I completely forgot about that!"

"You don't say..." Chihiro told her. "So, a date or the usual?"

"I don't know" the runner said back in thought. A romantic date with Keima on her birthday? Well, he did promise her a date. It was tempting, but not really plausible. The usual gathering of a few close friends sounded nice. Well, right now she had more than a few friends, so her home was definitely out... Then again, she could think of one place that she could use for that.

The question that remained was: should she invite Keima? Well, she kind of wanted to do it. It was expected. But would he agree to go to a real event with that many people?

She glanced at him and then she realized something. His fingers were unmoving and he wasn't playing. It was as if he...

(* * *)

"You were listening, right?" she spoke. They were currently walking to the school gate. Ayumi was tempted to walk home with him, but she really couldn't – she had activities of two clubs to take care of. Keima on the other hand was in the "go home" club.

"Listening to what?" Keima asked, not looking up from his console.

"To me and Chihiro talking. After Kodama's class."

"I tried to, just in case, but I didn't really hear anything" he replied. "What was that about?"

"Umm... I got a few... congratulatory emails about... well... us."

"I see" Keima responded without an ounce of surprise. Did he receive those emails as well? Oh gosh, that was so embarrassing...

They reached the gate and Ayumi squirmed a little. If it weren't for the people around them and for Keima being Keima then now would be a good time for a goodbye kiss... No, don't rush this, you've done enough rushing during the race a week ago, she mentally slapped herself. There's something else she needed to do now.

"Keima" she started, slowly trying to get his attention. He stopped walking and turned around with his eyes a little narrowed. He probably thought she was going to kiss him.

"You never forget a target's profile, right?" he nodded, looking positively confused. "So you know what is next week?"

"Yes" Keima's expression remained completely unchanged and Ayumi would never knew whether he was planning to celebrate her birthday or not.

"Umm... so I was thinking" why was it so difficult to say this? "Do you want to go to my birthday party next week?"

Keima scowled a little. "I told you the rules" he replied. "No introducing me to your family. I'm not going to your house."

At this Ayumi brightened. "Don't worry!" she said. "I'm not talking about my family party, but just an outing with some friends. So, do you want to come?"

Keima didn't reply at first. He continued to look at her with a strange analytical gaze. Ayumi got this funny impression that he was going through various possible routes in his mind.

"Fine, I will come." he said finally. Ayumi noticed he said 'will come' instead of 'want to come'. So he avoided the question. "Is that all?" he asked, ready to walk away.

"No" Ayumi smirked. "There's still that date you promised me" she reminded him. "But I guess we can talk about it tomorrow."

Keima nodded. "See you tomorrow then."

"Bye" she replied before turning around and jogging back to school, her blush finally catching up with her.

(* * *)

Keima was already seated on his throne and was just turning on his gaming consoles and monitors when he whirled his game chair number 3 around. He squinted his eyes for a moment before he spoke.

"Okay. You can show yourself now."

For a moment nothing happened. And then a person appeared out of the thin air.

"Good evening, Katsuragi."

"Haqua" Keima acknowledged. "May I know what are you doing in my room at this hour?"

"Just paying you an unofficial visit" the violet-haired devil sat on his bed.

"Shouldn't you be guarding me?" he questioned.

"Yes. Rimyuel is the one on duty right now, though" she explained.

"Right" Keima replied and turned back to his games. "So what's the purpose of this visit? Especially, since you were invisible" he turned over his shoulder to look at her. "Are you spying on me?"

"It's not like that" Haqua looked away, her cheeks coloring red. "I just wanted to find out what the new Mr. Katsuragi would do after recent events" she looked back at him with a smile. "Or should I call you Mr. Takahara?"

"Me and Ayumi are not married" he noticed, his eyebrow twitching.

"According to my... well _your_ memory you two are kind of married."

Keima didn't respond to that.

"So... what are your plans concerning Ayumi?" Haqua probed.

"Why is everyone asking things like that?" Keima asked back annoyed. He had received a number of congratulatory emails as well. Most of them were terribly blown out of proportions. And not to mention one or two "get away from Ayumi" kind of emails.

"Well... I brought you to the prefecture capital for the meet." she noticed.

"So? Ayumi needed it."

"Maybe. But you were strangely supportive of her."

"You're delusional" Keima diagnosed. Haqua didn't exactly deny that. Still, she decided to push him further. "Anyway, I saw what happened back then. Ayumi's resolve. And I saw what happened last week."

"You mean that background character Minamoto?" Keima asked and Haqua nodded. "You didn't do anything to him, right?"

"No, I didn't" the devil responded before smiling. "But Nora did."

"What?" Keima blinked. "Why?"

"She said it was to 'teach the mongrel a lesson', but that was only an excuse. She just wanted to torment him a little. It's better than her tormenting her own buddy" Haqua told him.

"So Ryō is still her buddy?"

"Not exactly. She just stays at his place."

Keima didn't want to ask further, especially considering Ryō was older than him and graduated high school (albeit not without difficulty).

"I never thought Nora was this... ethical" he noticed.

To this Haqua laughed.

"Ethical?" she repeated. "If Nora really did things like that because of ethics, then she would have to do it to herself."

"So what did she do?"

"Nothing too serious. Let's just say Minamoto will try to stay away from stairs for some time."

"And you and Rimyuel allowed it?"

"Of course not, but it was too late" Haqua said, while playing with her scythe. "Rimyuel have scolded Nora afterwards. She said it wasn't right to do such things... but she didn't deny Nora's actions provided valuable research data in result."

Keima sighed. Devils.

"Any more interesting gossip you want to share?" he asked.

"It depends."

"On what?"

"On what present you're going to buy for Ayumi" Haqua replied with voice full of mirth.

At this Keima stopped playing and turned around.

"What are you getting at?" he asked.

"Use your galge knowledge and guess" she smiled at him with her eyes closed.

Keima was silent for a moment. "You're not suggesting you're going to go with me to pick a present for her?"

"Yes, I am" Haqua smirked.

"Why?"

"To make sure you don't mess things up" the devil replied. "After all, you don't know much about such real life affairs."

"It's funny coming from a devil who doesn't know how to use a phone and has trouble eating with chopsticks."

"That may be, but I'm still a girl. And I have been for a long time."

"You're girl born in a place with virtually no men and where food is served alive" he noticed, but decided to drop it when Haqua grabbed her scythe. "Fine, you can come along."

Haqua smiled again and opened her mouth, but Keima never learned what she wanted to say next, because Eri chose that exact moment to barge into Keima's room right then. When his sister saw Haqua, she started to jump up and down in joy. Ten seconds later Eri had already managed to drag Haqua to her room and Keima could finally devote himself to his games.

No, that wasn't exactly right. There was something still bugging him, but he shrugged it off and immersed himself into the world of galge.

 **(* * *)**

 **First, I want to reassure you – this is not Keima x Haqua fanfiction, but it seems I'm just unable not to include some other girls from time to time... as proven by girls congratulating Ayumi... in various ways. :)  
**

 **And I think I like Nora a little bit more now. :)**

 **Anyway, we're getting to the next important events: the first date and the birthday and we're getting there (relatively) quickly, so stay tuned!**

 **As for Ayumi gettint the third place in Mai High Pri Pri beauty contest... I obviously made it up. Ayumi said she wouldn't appear for the final, but maybe she managed to get third place despite not being there, who knows? :P  
**

 **As usual, I encourage you to fav/favorite the story and drop me a reviews. They really help.**

 **That's all for now. See you next time!**


	10. Flag 30: The date

**Hello, everyone! I'm back with the newest chapter of Ayumi and Keima's romance!**

 **First, thank you for your feedback on the last chapter – it's very much appreciated. :) Here are the replies to reviews:**

 **To Gonzalorp94: glad you liked it. About getting Keima to open up... well... me and Ayumi are wondering about that too. xD**

 **To Undying Soul98: you know you don't have to review immediately, right? You can just go to sleep, wake up, read the chapter again and then review. Just sayin'. Still, thanks for reviewing even when you're tired. :)**

 **To Refraction of Light: who knows what Haqua is thinking. For now she is an enigma for everyone. But I think Keima will set a flag on Haqua even when neither of them wants it. After all, both of them still need to use the toilet, you know? ;)**

 **To Ryuumaru Kara: Keima? Seeing through Haqua? In romantic context (I originally tried to type "conquest" xD)? That would be a first! As for the other issue, I've already cleared it with PM, but I'll repeat it, to make sure other readers understand – Haqua remembers about Eri. It was all explained in the prequel fanfiction.**

 **To Shawn Raven: I'm totally with you on this one, something is wrong with Keima! *calms down* Anyway... I'm also afraid the girls are planning something... it's scary, you know? At least Yui is direct as ever. And about that chapter being hilarious... you be the judge. :)**

 **To DPSS: we'll see. :)**

 **To Skullcandyklive: well... I'm not sure what so say to that... I'm honored you think it was that good.**

 **Okay, that's (almost) it for the replies.**

 **Now a little bit of not-so-good news: while I was able to make considerable progress with the next chapter it's still far from being finished. I just hope I'll get it done in a week. So the next update is planned to happen somewhere from Saturday to Monday.**

 **That's it. Enjoy!**

 **(* * *)**

Ayumi was a little nervous. Keima picked her up on his way to school yesterday. Will he do the same today too? Should she stay in the house and wait for him? No, yesterday he was already there by the time she left for school and she didn't want to keep him waiting. That was why she left the house a little earlier this time. From the point of view of a typical passer-by she probably looked really stupid – leaning against the low wall surrounding her own house and waiting for God knows what.

And she even took some time to groom herself. It was probably a futile effort, but at least it managed to calm her down some. Still, she jumped a little when she heard her name being called.

She turned around and saw Keima walk up to her, his trusty console in his hands.

"Good morning" he greeted her with his usual enthusiasm. Or lack thereof.

"G-good morning" why did she stutter? "Where's Eri?"

"She went ahead of me."

"So, it's just the two of us?" Ayumi asked before she mentally slapped herself. That was too suggestive. She wasn't Yui!

"Seems so. Unless Eri is watching us from somewhere" Keima remarked. He then walked past Ayumi, before looking at her over his shoulder. "Are you going?"

"Y-yes!" she fell into step with him. Then something occurred to her. "Umm... is someone else watching us right now? Like your devil guardians?"

"Perhaps" Keima replied.

"Ugh... are you fine with this?" Ayumi questioned.

"As long as they don't disturb my gaming time? Yes."

"You have surprisingly little regard for your own privacy..."

Keima acknowledged with a short nod. And then Ayumi decided to exploit the fact that they were alone.

"So, what are you going to do about the date you promised me?" she asked.

"Right. I did promise you that" he gave her a side glance. "I'm starting to think you asked Yui to attack me just for that."

"No, I didn't!" Ayumi countered. "But that's a nice idea... I'm just joking" she quickly added when Keima narrowed her eyes at her. "C'mon, don't be so stubborn about this. Would it really be that bad?"

"No offense, but most of my memories of you are accompanied by kicking."

"Did I kick you recently?" she asked. "I'm past that stage, except when you do something really bad. So the date is painless."

"It's pointless" Keima replied. "But I've said I'll give it a chance. And I will keep my word."

"You better" Ayumi crossed her arms over her chest. "So how about today?"

"No can do."

"And why is that?" Ayumi questioned suspiciously.

"Today I'm busy. And I don't mean my games. I have a prior engagement."

"What do you mean?"

"The usual interference of the real. Why do you ask?"

"N-no reason" Ayumi replied.

Keima scrutinized her for a moment. "Are you jealous?"

"W-what?" Ayumi asked back. "Me? Jealous? Why would I be jealous?" she was trying, and failing, to keep her face from reddening. "I think I will run ahead. See you in class."

And with this she sprinted off, leaving Keima in thought. In order to not dive in Ayumi's route too deeply he needed to figure her out. Figure her archetype. But here was the problem. Athletic types were fine. Energetic girls were fine too. Girls next door and tsunderes were not a problem as well. But Ayumi was not a game heroine. She was a real girl. And he couldn't figure which of those 4 archetypes she was.

Maybe she was all of them? Tsk. Real and it's complex confusing imperfections...

(* * *)

"Just to make things clear" Keima said as soon as they started walking. "No going into lingerie shops."

"What made you think I would even try anything like _that_?" Haqua responded angrily, but she also looked away, making Keima certain she did want to do a thing like that.

"Are you trying to make sure I buy something good or do you want to make fun of me?" he asked. "Or maybe you're planning to make me buy something bad?"

"One does not exclude the other. The third guess is wrong though" she turned to him. "I really want to help you."

"So the one guarding me right now is Nora or Rimyuel?"

"Neither" the devil replied. "I'm guarding you."

"Openly like that?" he questioned.

"I used illusion magic to look like someone else."

"Like who?"

"Yukie" Haqua admitted and Keima nodded. That seemed convenient. No-one will think he was walking with some young girl or boy. No-one here knew Yukie and Yukie didn't live nearby. "Besides... it's not strictly guarding. More like checking whether you're fine or not. We're not guarding you all the time from five feet behind and peeking into your room" Haqua explained. "At least I don't do it like that."

"And the others do?"

"Well... Nora thinks you're bound to get into trouble and get the crap beaten out of you by some girl again, so she sticks closer to not miss the 'entertaining parts' as she calls them."

"And Rimyuel? Does she think of me as her personal pet project?" Haqua nodded. "Couldn't she just visit me and ask what she needs to know?"

"Hoo?" the devil raised her eyebrow. "Do you miss Rimyuel?"

"Don't be stupid" he eyed her strangely. "It would just be easier."

"I wonder about that" Haqua chuckled. "Anyway... here's our first stop."

"Sports shop?" Keima questioned.

"Yeah. I think running shoes could be nice."

"I gave her a pair of shoes already" he told her. "Don't your remember?"

"Yeah, but they should be worn out by now."

"No, they're not. She kept them. She's actually emotionally attached to them... what?" he asked when Haqua looked at him curiously.

"As usual you're conquering girls even when you don't want to" she looked at him. "Or do you?"

"No, I don't want to conquer Ayumi" Keima defended himself, but Haqua looked like she didn't buy it. "Ugh... can we go to the next point now?"

"No. We're still going in" Haqua told him. "There are some other things you can buy here besides shoes."

"I know what you can't buy here" Keima snorted. "And that's games."

"Are you going to enter the shop voluntarily" Haqua started. "Or do I need to prove to you that I am strong even without my scythe?"

"After you" Keima replied with a smile.

"Good boy."

(* * *)

Keima's hand for the third time automatically reached for his PFP. And he sighed when for the third time he realized he didn't bring his console with him. It wasn't even about his lost gaming time.

He was simply bored.

It was Saturday, one day after the shopping spree with Haqua and the third day of his... relationship with Ayumi. And most important of all – it was the day of the date.

And this time there (hopefully) were no Vintage agents around and he didn't need to rush anything. This was it.

His first real date with a real girl.

Without counting Kusunoki of course... because this was different.

Truth be told, Keima wasn't sure what awaited him, so he did what he had always done – he prepared himself. To this end he distanced himself from Ayumi. They didn't really talk face-to-face yesterday. They just exchanged emails, establishing the time and place of the meeting.

Of course it was necessary – it helped to reduce his stress, gather his energy and muster his resolve to survive through this. And of course if his plan was to conquer Ayumi then there would be no way to fail. Yes, she wasn't a game heroine, but her love points were already high. The problem was he didn't want to conquer Ayumi and he was beginning to realize he was pretty bad and _not_ making girls fall for him. Well, it wasn't as if the whole female species (devils and goddesses included) was after him, but in hindsight he still had found himself bombarded by absurd number of flags from all directions. Hard to avoid flags.

And what's worse, he couldn't just be mean to Ayumi. The whole point of this was not to lead her to a bad ending. That was his mission. He had also promised he would give the two of them a chance. And aside from all that, he just _couldn't_ make Ayumi suffer again. So no – creating a bad date on purpose was out of the question. He just needed to be somewhere between nice and neutral.

All that assuming any of this will go according to the plan, because, frankly, he had no idea what actual real dates with real girls looked like. Let alone dates with athletic goddesses hosts.

"Hey!"

Speak of the devil, Keima thought as he saw the goddess host in question walk up to him, reminding him of the one obvious factor beyond his control.

Mercury.

"Sorry for being late" Ayumi said nervously as soon as she was in front of him. "Did you wait long?" she added, while looking to the side, giving Keima an opportunity to examine her attire.

Ayumi was wearing a knee-length white summer dress with a pink bow in front of her and suspended by pink shoulder-straps. And she was carrying a small violet purse. As far as he could see she wasn't wearing any make up.

But she was wearing a considerable blush.

Not that Ayumi's choice of clothing mattered – what she was wearing had no effect on this event directly. Indirectly, however, it affected her mood, as proved by her blushing. And blushing lead to cuteness. And cuteness lead to flags.

Not good.

"Don't worry about it" Keima answered her previous question. This line won't get him on her route more than he already was. Right? "Let us go."

"So... where are we going?" Ayumi asked walking next to him.

"To see a movie."

"Aah... okay" she replied after which they continued to walk in silence.

(* * *)

"A romantic comedy?" Ayumi questioned with disbelief when she got her eyes on the appropriate pamphlet.

"Yeah" Keima responded as he got closer to the box office. "We're on a date and I thought you liked comedy shows."

"I do" Ayumi admitted, looking at him seriously. "How about you?"

"What about me?" he asked, they were now in front of the box office.

"You're supposed to enjoy this too!" she told him. "This is a real date and not the one you had with Eri last year!"

"I normally don't watch movies and it's likely this movie will show terrible approach to romantic routes, so I'm obviously not going to enjoy it" Keima replied and handed money to the cashier in the box office, who looked at him back, clearly irritated.

"What's the point if only I enjoy it?" Ayumi asked, while tossing a apologetic smile to the cashier. "Scratch that, can I even enjoy it?"

"Men rarely enjoy such things" Keima told her. "It's not that far from the 'man waits bored out of his mind while girl buys clothes' scenario. That's the way it is."

"In games?" she asked.

"In games" he responded matching her calmness.

(* * *)

"What are you doing?" he hissed, skillfully masking his panic. They were seated in their seats and the movie was just about to start when Ayumi grabbed his hand.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" she questioned.

"I told you the rules: no bodily contact without warning!"

"I gave you a warning."

"By saying 'warning'?"

"Yes."

His eyes narrowed. "What are you trying to do?"

"Making sure you won't escape in the middle and won't ask Haqua to substitute you with a hagoromo doll" she said and Keima widened his eyes a little when he noticed how easily she was mentioning various devil-related things. A resourceful general, huh?

"That's going too far" he opposed.

"You'll never be able to appreciate touching if you don't try it. Treat it as training. If you become too focused on it" the lights went out and the commercials started. "Then just concentrate on the movie."

(* * *)

The show started and it was everything that Keima predicted it would be. A shallow shabby chick flick portraying the illogical idiosyncrasies of the real. Ayumi however, seemed to actually enjoy it to the point when she forgot about Keima halfway through it.

Almost forgot, because at some point she was practically leaning into him. On the other hand, she wasn't doing it on purpose as far as he could tell, so maybe she did it involuntarily? But that would mean she _really_ enjoyed it.

And she wasn't supposed to! He wasn't here to encourage her! It was quite obvious she wouldn't find anyone anytime soon. Well, at least worthless guys won't just carelessly approach her now. However, that didn't solve the main issue – how to stop Ayumi's route from developing further?

Of course, he had thought about it before, but hadn't been able to find a satisfying solution. Dumping her wasn't a viable strategy. First, he would need a valid reason for that and "bodily contact" certainly wasn't it. Second, breaking up would only hurt Ayumi and he didn't want that. And third, if he were to break up with her then Chihiro would definitely kick his ass... to put it mildly.

So his current strategy was to stall and hope that Ayumi's inexperience and high expectation will kick in and make her bored. That was also the reason behind this movie idea. Watching movies could indeed increase the heroine's love points, but it was still a relatively meaningless activity – there was practically no interaction involved. No talking. No looking into each other's eyes. No touching.

In theory, at least, cause in the real even buying popcorn could very much turn into a flag. The same was for this damn leaning Ayumi was using against him now, although it seemed she was really unaware of it, because at one point she stirred and moved away from him, an aura of embarrassment radiating from her.

(* * *)

"What's this?" Keima asked, eyeing the thing in front of him.

"It's a chocolate parfait" Ayumi responded, already digging into hers.

"I know what this is, I mean, why this? You know I don't like sweet things" he should have known better than going to toilet and letting Ayumi order anything when she had led him into this café.

"Not all sweets are sweet. This" she pointed to his parfait with her spoon. "Is made mostly from bitter chocolate, wafer and whipped cream. Not sweetened. Just try it. If you don't like it then I won't make you eat sweet things ever again."

Keima very much doubted she would keep that promise, but said nothing and instead grabbed his spoon and started eating.

"How is it?" Ayumi asked nonchalantly.

"I'm not a gourmet and I mostly don't care how food tastes as long as it's not sweet" he paused for a moment. "But this is... not that bad."

If he was planning for a neutral answer then he knew he failed when he saw Ayumi look at him with eyes shaped like two crescents and a satisfied smile on her lips.

"Told you so" she said, before attacking her cake she had ordered along with the parfaits.

"I can't burn all those calories like you, you know that?" he asked and put a slice of his own pastry into his mouth. This was more sweet than the parfait, but still manageable.

"We'll start worrying about that once you start to get fat" Ayumi put a fork in her mouth and sighed in obvious bliss before continuing. "Besides, if you want to lose weight, then I'd be happy to jog with you in the mornings. Or evenings."

"No, thank you" he replied, taking another slice of the cake. It wasn't bad, but it was still better to eat it quickly. "Can we change the topic?"

"Fine" Ayumi smiled. "What girls are your type?"

He almost choked on his cake.

"W-what?"

"You heard me" Ayumi's smile grew wider. "What girls are your type?"

"I don't like real girls" he replied. "You know that!"

"Oh, really?" the smile was still there. "We real girls might be imperfect, but according to my, well... your memories being imperfect isn't bad. You said that to this short devil girl with a robot, right? And you said to Chihiro that imperfections are part of real girl's charm, didn't you?"

Keima thought about that for a moment. He indeed said both those things at one point. Was Ayumi always this perceptive?

"Besides" the runner resumed before he could answer. "I'm not asking only about real girls. Your type of game girl is fine as well."

Keima remained silent for a moment, scrutinizing her before speaking.

"Why do you want to know that?"

"I'm trying to learn more about you. That's what dates are for, right? To get to know each other" Ayumi explained. "So? Do you like short girls? Shy girls? Energetic girls?" her smile once gain widened. "Or maybe you're really into girls that come onto you aggressively? That's why you're afraid of touching?"

Keima responded with a perfect poker face. Was she making fun or him? Was she trying to find his weak point to formulate a strategy? Or was she just curious? Fortunately, Ayumi's questions were one he could answer honestly without trouble.

"When I complete a game I will conquer any heroine needing help."

"I know that" Ayumi shook her head a little. "I was asking-"

"However, not every girl can be a heroine" Keima interrupted her and started his lecture mode. "A heroine has to have a world view, a surprising favorite food, has to stand up for the main character, not let him set the pace too easily and be able to create unique events repeatedly" he paused for a moment. "If a girl meets criteria like this then she is a heroine and flags can be set for her, but she still may have imperfections. The heroines I'm attracted too are the perfect combination of charming and beautiful and have captivated personalities. Their height, hair color or whether they're shy or energetic is irrelevant."

"You mean that you'll like any 2-D girl as long as she's nice and beautiful?" Ayumi rephrased. "So you _do_ care about looks. You just apply beauty to 2-D girls only."

"I never said I didn't care for the girls' beauty. I just said other parameters also are important for their overall charm. Besides" Keima crossed his hands over his chest, trying to look insulted. "You make it sound as if I'm a pervert that plays eroges."

"Well... you did admit you look at porn mags... in games" she was obviously referring to his "playing doctor" event with Urara.

"That doesn't mean I look at them all the time" Keima countered while looking away, but his cheeks colored red. "Anyway, I'm done eating and you are too it seems" he put a bill on the table and then stood up. "Where are we going next?"

"You tell me" Ayumi stood up as well.

Her answer surprised Keima. "What do you mean?"

"I told you – it makes no sense if only I enjoy this date, so you get to choose our next stop" she walked up to him. "A game shop is fine as well... but I'm not going to carry your game bags, got it?"

Keima looked back at her surprised. What was she trying to do? Well... two people could play that game...

"Fine. Let's go."

(* * *)

"Funny... I thought you were going to just to grab half of them the moment you get here."

Keima paused browsing the games and turned around when he heard Ayumi speak.

"I used to do that" Keima admitted. "But now I have to do something about the growing galge market or I'll end buried beneath new waves of games. It's grown too much. Damn that camera of Chronos!"

"You think you can decrease the number of produced games by just you buying less of them?" Ayumi shook her hear. "You've dug yourself into your own hole."

"Right back at you. Aren't you grossed out by my creepiness?" he gestured to well... all of him.

"Nah... I've seen you act like that before, so it's nothing new really" she approached one of the shelves and grabbed seemingly random box. "If I were a boy and wanted to buy a galge" she turned the box in her hand to get a better look before extending it to him. "Then I would probably buy this."

"A good choice" Keima admitted. "But I've already played this game."

To this Ayumi snorted. Or snickered. He couldn't really tell at this point. "Like that's going to stop you from buying another copy in case of earthquakes."

Keima remained unmoving for a few moments. His budget wasn't that flexible lately, but he could afford buying it.

"You're getting the hang of it a lot quicker than Eri did" he noticed.

"Don't even think about making me into your student" Ayumi warned him with a shake of her finger. "But I have another idea. How about we play together?"

"My games are all single-player."

"I'm not talking about regular galge" Ayumi replied. "As long as there's a girl everything is a galge to you, right?" Keima nodded hesitantly. "Then how about a match on a tennis court?"

Keima narrowed his eyes "I'm not an athlete like you" he reminded her.

"That's not going to stop the God of Conquest, right?" she teased him. "And after that we can go play some co-op shoot 'em up or something like that. So what do you say?"

Keima was certain this wouldn't be a thrilling gaming experience, but there was no reason to refuse.

"Fine."

(* * *)

"Ah... that was actually nice" Ayumi commented when they were walking back towards her home.

"What do you mean" Keima asked. "You lost both times."

It was true. Ayumi was a strong athlete, but she had issues with controlling her power. Sure, in tennis she was able to win several points and even a few games, but Keima won the match in the end. He knew better when to fight and when to yield and controlled the ball better. He also exploited Ayumi's inexperience and minimized the need to move around the court, negating the runner's greatest asset – her speed.

And of course he had won at the arcade too. Well, it was a two-player cooperative light gun shooter, but there were still points and in the end Ayumi' score didn't even reach one fifth of his.

Ayumi however only shook her head almost as if she was pitying him.

"You don't get it" she told him.

"Don't get what?" he questioned.

"You only play games to win."

"That's what games are for."

"Are you sure?"

"What else would they be for?" he asked, looking at her.

"How about this?" she said, raising a single finger as if she'd just got an idea. "How many people can play galges like you can? Scratch that! How many people are able to complete more than two games in a month?"

"Not many" Keima admitted, curious where this was headed.

"See? Many people are unable to complete their games. Yet galges are sold in the millions, so people still play them, even when unable to complete them. Do you know why?"

"Educate me" he challenged.

"Because it's fun" Ayumi told him. "You're determined to finish the game, while many people are just happy playing them. Sometimes, running is more important that reaching the finish line. Trust me, I know."

"So you're saying you had fun playing with me even though you lost?" Keima asked.

"Well, normally I don't enjoy games, but with you it's another matter. Besides" she smiled at him. "I don't believe I lost. I wanted to have fun and I had fun. Mission accomplished."

"That's an... interesting point of view" Keima admitted. Ayumi smiled.

"Okay, here we split ways" she told him. "You wouldn't want my parents to see you, right?"

Keima only nodded.

"Anyway, I had fun today. Thank you" Ayumi said, while scratching her cheek.

Keima could either say he didn't like it or say he had fun as well. First answer wasn't exactly true and the second was totally false. So he decided to just nod his head again, hoping it would be enough.

Apparently, it was enough, since Ayumi just grinned at him. That was it. He has survived the date.

"Oh... one last thing" Ayumi started while, looking to the side. "Do I get a goodbye kiss?"

Or maybe not...

Well, at least she asked this time instead of forcing him.

Keima sighed. "Alright."

Ayumi remained still for a moment and then it was her turn to sigh. It seemed Keima wasn't going to take the initiative, so she leaned in and put a chaste kiss on his lips. This was the shortest kiss she ever shared with him.

Not that there were so many of them, but still...

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then" she told him, giving up trying to decipher his expression. "Bye."

"Bye" he replied.

Ayumi started walking away, fighting the urge to start running. Well, it seemed Keima didn't hate this date and she enjoyed it, so all-in-all it was a step in the right direction. She should focus on the next event now – her birthday.

She was so in thought that she didn't notice that her footsteps were the only one she could hear, as Keima didn't move from his previous post. He just continued to stand there, his sharp eyes observing her every move. Observing. Analyzing.

Thinking.

Finally, when Ayumi disappeared from his vision Keima sighed for a second time and then started to walk home. He still wasn't able to figure the answer he was looking for. No matter. He'll get another chance.

For now it was gaming time.

 **(* * *)**

 **Ta-dah! So here is the date. Frankly, I'm not that good with writing stuff like that and I had trouble with figuring out what the date would look like. So I hope this is good enough.**

 **As for Ayumi's dress... I based it on the fanart by khai90 from DeviantArt. I recommend checking his/hers gallery – there are a couple of nice TWGOK pictures there.**

 **And a full reply to** **DPSS' review: as you can see that was not what I've planned, so I didn't have to try. Frankly, it barely crossed my mind. By the way, is cliché all that bad? Keima's conquest lines are pretty** **cliché and cheesy most of the time, but it only makes them fun to read about. Maybe my view on** **cliché is just different.  
**

 **Also, this chapter is brought to you by Pitch black (2000)... kinda.**

 **No omake this time, but don't worry – you'll be able to see all of them and I'll probably run out of ideas at one point.**

 **As usual I kindly ask you for your supports, including favorites, follows and reviews. I'll be needing them to get back on track.**

 **See you next time!**


	11. Flag 31: Presents galore

**Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas! Are there any nice readers here? ;)  
**

 **If so, then here's your Christmas present from me: a chapter with some 6500 words, not counting omake and author's notes. Actually, it's the largest chapter yet** ** **(over 8 thousand words total)**. I didn't plan for it to be this long, but it just happened.**

 **I would like to thank you very much for you continued support, especially the reviews. Here are the replies:  
**

 **Sir sleeps-a-lot:** Stop putting myself down? I'll try. Thanks for your opinion. And I don't think Keima likes Ayumi in that way right now or he believes he doesn't at the very least. His reasons for dating her are as explained before. It might seem peculiar, but what isn't when it comes to Keima? :)

 **Gonazlorp94:** Glad to hear it and no problem. That's what I do. :)

 **DPSS:** Well, Keima can spot a cliche when he's on the route. However, when the girls acted by themselves and with "invalid" flags he couldn't see it for the life of him. And now he's not that better. On the other hand, that means you're against cliches that are used against Keima. But when Keima is the one using them then it's okay, I guess. ;) Anyway, I'll take this into consideration and thanks for the review. :)

 **Ryuumaru Kara:** If you say so. :) Glad you liked the date scene(s). As for the presents... there's something we won't be lacking in this chapter (as the title suggests), so stay calm and keep reading. ;)

 **Shawn Raven:** oooh... ;) Yes, that summer dress rocks... even though outside of school Ayumi is more "shorts, pants or skirt and leggings" kind of girl. Probably. Well, I didn't mean the date wasn't perfect. It wasn't supposed to be perfect. I was just lost as what do to with it and was uncertain of the result. But your opinion... I'm kinda out of words here. Thanks. Just thanks. And the parfait wasn't exactly sweet, so Keima had no problem with it. The cake was a little more of a problem though. And let's worry about Sumire when her fanfic comes. I'm sure she'll figure something out. :) And I'm kinda more for older games (with few exceptions). Actually, I enjoyed Nanaka's talk about Pacman and Keima's many references to Mario very much. Probably too much. And we actually never learned what Keima really thinks of all the kissess he received... this is kind of a problem for me... -.-'

 **ZelgadisGW:** Glad you feel that way bro. :) And remember: stay calm and keep writing. :P

 **Hikigaya:** Glad you didn't see it coming. That was the plan, keikaku dōri! :) I think Ayumi always had a potential when it came to smarts (of course not as much as Keima), but she neglected that part of her, so she has problems in school. But Keima's (and others') memories only served to increase her potential, no argument there. Glad you liked the chapter(s). :)

 **This chapter actually took forever to write, as I didn't really know what to do with this birthday thing. It was supposed to be only a small stop on our journey and I blew it terribly out of proportion, trying to give many girls some... ugh... page time, I guess. So expect many hilarious scenes here. :)  
**

 **The problem however starts after this chapter. I still have some (important) parts written, but not for the next chapter. To rephrase that: the next chapter is not started yet and the Christmas is around the corner, so I'm afraid of my writing time and ideas.**

 **Rant starts.**

 **And I have to confess something. As far as I tried to resist it, I got sucked into One Punch Man. That's the first new manga I really read since I finished KamiNomi. I won't lie to you: I'm very much tempted to write some Saitama x Tatsumaki fic (well, at least that pairing makes more sense than Xellos x Filia from Slayers... I think). And the manga site I used stopped sending me update modifications... again. Thus, now I have a few mangas I wanted to start reading, a few mangas I once started reading from the middle and now I probably have a lot of chapters I missed because of the faulty notificiations. Not good...**

 **And the days continue to have 24 hours only... T.T**

 **Rant ends.**

 **If anyone is interested – me and Sir sleeps-a-lot managed to establish birth dates (and ages) for the majority of important KamiNomi characters and the year when the story takes place with considerable certainty. This is on the forum, so authors can use it as a reference sheet of sorts. We'll try to start establishing the general timeline, as soon as I find some time in my schedule.**

 **By the way, I encourage everyone to continue contributing on the forum, as the activity lessened lately.**

 **Okay, here goes the chapter. Enjoy!**

 **(* * *)**

For most of Ayumi's life preparing a birthday party was something easy, especially if her parents took care of everything. Back then she was a regular girl with regular friends and regular family. Now things were a little more... complicated, forcing her to redefine the very idea of a birthday party. Or birthday parties.

Parties. As in plural.

Ayumi was well aware that it was a little over the top, but that was the best solution in her current predicament.

The first party was formal, but not really fancy – just a small party with her family and her more normal friends, including Chihiro, Miyako, Eri, Yui, Mobuko and two more of her friends from middle school. A party like many before it. Well, maybe not exactly – after all it will be her first birthday party with the drummer and the bassist. And this party was to take place on May 2 – Ayumi's actual birthday.

The second party was vastly different. Actually, it would be more accurate to call it the first party, as it was planned to happen on May 1, so a day earlier. And the list of guests was also nothing to laugh at. It included Eri, Mio, Chihiro, Tsukiyo, Minami, Tenri, Nanaka, Yui and Urara at the very least.

Kanon said she wanted to come, but her schedule was tight. On the other hand, Shiori was conflicted. At least until Ayumi told her how many people would be there, at which point the bookworm flatly ("I-I'm very sorry b-but... I don't think I can do it") refused. On the other hand, Tsukiyo claimed she will "bring that book recluse to that party even if she had to drag her all the way".

Ayumi didn't invite Sumire. She didn't need to. After all, Sumire's restaurant will be serving as the venue of the party.

She didn't invite Hinoki either, because she was overseas – especially since the flashy woman like her would probably become the star of the party – but once again the older of the Kasuga sisters somehow learned of the upcoming event. She couldn't come to Japan, so she sent her younger sister in her place. That made inviting Kusunoki redundant as well – Kasuga heiress just didn't have a choice...

Thus, the number of people expected for this party was from twelve to fourteen. Assuming some uninvited guests won't appear. Well, not exactly uninvited. Nikaidō-sensei and Nagase-sensei were invited. They just politely refused.

Among the devils Ayumi invited only Haqua... or rather asked Keima to invite her, but she didn't receive any feedback on this issue. And she didn't invite that Ryō guy either. That alone didn't mean he won't come though...

Honestly, Ayumi was really surprised so many of the girls wanted to celebrate her birthday. But then again, maybe it had something to do with the last guest on the list.

Keima.

Frankly, Ayumi had this funny suspicion that some girls were coming mostly because of him. But for what purpose? Were they jealous? That sounded plausible... if it wasn't for the congratulatory emails Ayumi had received. Were there planning to tease her and Keima? Or maybe they wanted to bring them closer? All of those scenarios had one thing in common.

They could end with a disaster.

Ayumi didn't really have a choice though – it would be rude to not invite everyone. And it was of course impossible to merge this party with the second one. Ayumi would rather not have her parents hear about devils, goddesses and certain playboy gamer who incidentally happens to be her boyfriend.

The side effect of all this was that Chihiro, Elsie and Yui were invited to both parties, but it couldn't be helped – they really wanted to come to the "hen party plus Keima". On the other hand, them not attending the "family party" would be seen as weird.

Those were Ayumi's thoughts as she was riding a train to Narusawa City on May 1 with Chihiro.

Speaking of Chihiro...

"What's this?" Ayumi asked, pointing her leg at bag that Chihiro brought with her. As far as Ayumi remembered Sumire had said not to bring anything.

"What do you think?" the band leader replied with a cheeky smile. "It's your birthday present."

Ayumi blinked. "You're giving it to me today?" a ringing indicated the train reached their destination. "What about tomorrow?"

"Simple" Chihiro stood up. "Tomorrow you get a present too!"

"You got me _two_ presents?" Ayumi asked in surprise, getting off the train.

"No, I'll just give you the same present twice" Chihiro smirked.

"You mean I have to give it _back_ to you after party, so you can give it to me again?

"Yep."

Ayumi just shook her head. "That will be the strangest birthday of my life."

"The strangest birthday of your life so far" Chihiro corrected her.

(* * *)

"What are you doing here so early?" Ayumi asked when she saw Tsukiyo and Urara already in Sumire-ya.

"The same thing you're doing here, Takahara-san" Shiratori heiress said, taking a handful of cutlery from Sumire. "Preparation."

"And arrangement" Tsukiyo added while inspecting a plate on the big table. The moon lover apparently thought it wasn't perfect, symmetrical and beautiful enough, because she shifted it by an insubstantial distance before smiling in satisfaction.

"You do realize that when the party starts, food will probably fly around, right?" Chihiro asked. "By the way, have you ever read Soul Eater?"

"No, what's that?" Tsukiyo asked surprised.

"It's a manga when one of the characters has obsession on symmetry and-eek!" a voice from the side spoke, making everyone look around only to see Shiori, who apparently too late realized she wasn't supposed to say that aloud.

"Oh... so the most knowledgeable librarian in the world is here as well" Chihiro remarked.

"I-it's normal for a l-library committee member to have read all the b-books in the library" Shiori replied shyly.

"No, it isn't!" everyone else countered simultaneously.

"A-anyway, h-happy birthday, Takahara-san" the librarian approached Ayumi and presented her with a small package. "H-here's your birthday present."

"Just call me Ayumi" the runner responded, taking the package. "And thank you... but why are you giving it to me now?"

"Umm... b-because my father... needs something from me... a-and I can't stay here... so I got to go-Ugh!" she tried to walk away towards the exit, but yelped when Tsukiyo grabbed her by her clothes.

"No, you don't. You stay right here" the blond said firmly.

"Kujō-san's right, you don't need to be afraid" Chihiro chipped in. "Everyone here knows you, so you don't have to hesitate to voice your opinion. You can call Ayumi a running freak anytime you want."

"Hey! I'm not a freak!" Ayumi countered, feigning offense. "And gimme those" she added pointing at the mountain of plates carried by Chihiro.

"No" the girl replied. "You're not helping us."

"Why? Because it's my party?"

"Nope. Because you'll start running and break all the plates, you freak!"

Shiori chuckled lightly at that, but it went completely unnoticed in the mix of laughter and giggles that erupted all around.

(* * *)

It was still some time left before five o'clock when the remaining guests started to gather.

First to arrive was Kusunoki, who was wearing cute and almost lady-like clothes. However it was clear she was not used to such attire.

The arrival of the next three guests was practically impossible to miss, as Mio, Nanaka and Yui were engaged in some heated discussion that was audible good minute before they entered the restaurant.

On the other hand, Tenri seemed to appear out of thin air. One moment she wasn't there and a second later she was. Ayumi could've blamed it on the girl's preference for magic tricks... weren't if for the fact that she brought Minami with her.

"Have you heard from Keima?" Ayumi asked the shy girl, while she observed the street outside. It was one minute to five.

"What do you mean?" Tenri asked quietly, looking at the group of girls milling about and talking inside the restaurant.

"She means if Katsuragi said 'I won't be coming' or something like that" a third voice weighed into the discussion.

"That's not what I meant, Chihiro!" Ayumi replied, but couldn't stop herself from worrying. What if he decided not to come? Or simply forgot about her birthday altogether?

"Don't worry, Ayumi-san" Tenri replied calmly. "I'm sure Keima-kun will come any moment now."

Chihiro shook her head. "You're saying it as if he told you that in the past too. 'Tenri, in 10 years I'll go to Ayumi's birthday' or something like that. How can you be sure he'll come?"

"Because" Tenri smiled gently. "I can see him."

Chihiro and Ayumi blinked and turned their heads and sure enough – Keima was walking up to the restaurant with his sister.

"Ayumi-san! Chihiro-san!" Eri shouted from the distance in joy, while Keima looked as unaffected as usual. "We're here!"

(* * *)

"Are you sure this is fine?" Ayumi asked Sumire as soon as everyone was gathered around three stacked tables. "What about your father?"

"It's fine! Dad is not home today anyway" the rāmen lover replied.

"What did you tell him?"

"I just said I need the shop for a hen party tonight, so he should go hang out with his buddies or something."

"And he bought this?" Ayumi questioned.

"Well... he tried to disagree at first, but then I started to wonder aloud whether I should go to a club with some shady guys. Worked like a charm!" Sumire explained with a smile, while Ayumi sweatdropped. "Besides, it's not like I'm doing it completely for free."

That was true. Of course, Sumire offered a considerable discount and the guests all paid their share, so it wasn't really an issue.

"Anyway, I think we should start this" Sumire walked off to the back room and returned a moment later with the biggest birthday cake Ayumi's ever seen.

A chorus of "Happy birthday!" resounded as Sumire placed the deliciously looking cake with eighteen candles in front of the runner.

"Now make a wish!" Sumire said solemnly. Ayumi stole a quick glance at Keima and then blew all the candles in a single try, resulting in a thunderous applause form the others. A lively chatter followed immediately after that.

"Alright, presents time!" Nanaka announced, managing to outshout the general rumble, which quickly turned into a mix of excited whispers.

Keima took a small step back, apparently not too eager to go first, but the people around him had other ideas – in no time flat he somehow found himself in front of Ayumi. He turned over his shoulder to look at the last person who pushed him. His glare must've been misunderstood, however, because Eri flashed him a thumbs-up and a smile.

Keima cleared his throat and pulled a small rectangular package and presented it to Ayumi with a simple "here".

A few pairs of eyes around them widened or squinted in suspicion. Keima couldn't have...

Ayumi made short work of the wrapping, proving that he could.

"A PFP?" she asked as if she saw the device in her hands for the first time.

"Yes. During our date I noticed you have potential, so I thought you could use some practice, so we could... ugh... play again" Keima explained, grateful that stares couldn't kill as there seemed to be one or two potential murderesses in the room.

"Thanks, but... isn't that a little too expensive?" Ayumi questioned. "And I don't have any games to play on that."

"Expensive?" Chihiro repeated. "He just gave you one of his old consoles that he bought using the M-funds."

"My PFPs are white, not pink!" Keima defended himself, pointing at the console. "And as for games I have full library of them, so there's no reason for Ayumi to buy any!"

"What good dating sims are going to do for her, otamegane?!" Chihiro didn't desist.

"I don't play just dating sims, you pesky real!" Keima wasn't backing down either.

"Don't be so hard on him, Chihiro" Yui interjected with a smile. "It was expected. Besides, it's the thought that counts, right darling?" she added with a wink.

Keima had already opened his mouth, but he quickly closed it and stepped backwards when he heard flirtatious tone in Yui's voice.

"That's right!" Urara stepped in between Keima and the two other girls, apparently trying to diffuse the situation. "Here's my present!" she handed Ayumi a medium-sized package.

The runner took the gift and unwrapped it, revealing an impressive make up kit.

"I just thought you might need it now. I can't guarantee it'll be effective though" Urara shot a discreet glance at Keima.

"That's very thoughtful of you" Ayumi commented politely, not mentioning that the kit looked expensive as well.

"You might need this in the future as well!" Sumire smiled, presenting Ayumi with a rectangular package.

"You shouldn't have" Ayumi noted. "You already letting us have a party here and-"

"Yeah, yeah. Just unpack it. It's not expensive or anything."

Ayumi did as she was told. It was book titled "101 recipes a good wife should know". Well... wife was a little uncalled at this point. Still, a cooking book was very Sumire-like. And appreciated.

Speaking of books...

Ayumi opened Shiori's present next and sure enough it was some book. The title was "Runners through the ages", clearly indicating the book was describing the history of track and field sports. Ayumi was a little anxious to open it, but she did and sighed in relief – the pictures took considerable portion of the pages, so Shiori had chosen the book wisely.

"Next is a gift from me and Tenri-senpai" Minami announced. Tenri then stepped in front of her, tossed a cloth over the younger girl's empty palm, made some magical gestures and removed the cloth.

On the palm there was a small package, eliciting several surprised "Ooh"s.

"Minami-chan and Diana helped to chose this... so I guess it's a gift from the three of us" Tenri explained as soon as Ayumi unwrapped the box only to see some strange strings and a piece of fabric. She pulled it out to look closely and only then she realized she was looking at a swimsuit.

A skirtini type swimsuit.

Ayumi's face turned deep red and she quickly hid the garment back in the box... or rather tried to, as the flimsy fabric apparently didn't want to be put back inside.

"Well, here is my present, Takahara-san" Kusunoki said uncertainly a moment later. Ayumi was a little uncertain as well, but it turned out that the younger Kasuga had bought her winter jogging clothes.

"Umm... also here's a present from aneue" Kusunoki showed another package. "But... I think it's better you unpack it after the party."

"It would be kind of rude" Ayumi countered, removing the ribbons on the box.

"Yeah, how bad could it be?" Chihiro chimed in and looked into the box Ayumi just opened. Both girls blinked. Then turned cherry red and covered the box at once.

"I-I think it's better to save it for later after all" Ayumi decided.

"Y-yeah" Chihiro agreed, sparking interests in some of the remaining guests. "Anyway, here you are" the band leader said, giving Ayumi a box as well, which turned out to reveal a bunch of CDs.

"What exactly are those?" Ayumi asked.

"A collection of your favorite comedy shows, so you can watch them anytime you want" Chihiro explained. Ayumi took one of the disc cases and inspected it closely. And true enough – it was just as the other girls had said.

"How did you now those were the ones I liked and the ones I didn't have yet?"

"You're underestimating the power of a childhood friend" Chihiro replied, obviously trying for a Keima-like stance, making the gamer narrow his eyes at her.

After that there was present from Mio, Yui and Tsukiyo who bought Ayumi an elegant and high-class looking dress that made the runner speechless. Was a girl like her even allowed to walk in clothes like _this_?

The final present was from Nanaka and Elsie and turned out to be a guitar amp. It was small, but, as the shōgi lover said "it's packin' enough power to wake up the entire neighborhood!"

Unlike the other presents, Ayumi was well aware of the price of such equipment, but Nanaka said that she "got it from her family friend on the cheap" after which she put her arm around the runner and smiled, stating that "it was time for some grub!"

No-one disagreed.

(* * *)

"Minamodo-shan dhid _whad_?" Eri mumbled half-coherently, her mouth full of cake and voice going above whisper in shock. She was looking appalled, however not as much as Tsukiyo who sat next to her.

"Not so loud!" Chihiro shushed, leaning over Sumire's chair, exploiting the fact the the cook left everyone for a moment to bring more food and drinks. "Not everyone has to hear this right now!"

"I doubt anyone else will hear it" Keima noticed, his eyes surveying the room and Ayumi had to agree – everyone else were eating and chatting among themselves. And it turned out that Chihiro was right – food was flying around. Mostly courtesy of Vulcan, but still.

Ayumi was sitting at the head of the table, taking another mouthful of the cake. Keima was next to her, his slice of the considerably sweet pastry still unfinished even though he gave most of it to Ayumi. The seat next to him was taken by Eri, who looked comical with her eyes wide and fork still in her mouth. Tsukiyo was to her right, her eyes shifting to her doll in concern, but Luna seemed unmoving at the moment.

The rest of the table seemed to arrange itself in pairs. Next to Tsukiyo was Shiori and next to her was Minami, who somehow managed to drag the bibliophile into some conversation.

Next was an empty seat, originally planned for Kanon and then there were Kusunoki and Urara. The Kasuga successor looked more lady-like with her gentle and uncertain expression, while the Shiratori heiress was obviously enjoying being able to speak with the more adult girl, talking as if there was no tomorrow.

This one-sided monologue was completely unlike the talk that was happening more to the right. Mio and Yui were in the middle of some heated discussion, with the drummer trying and half-succeeding to push the shorter girl's buttons, while Mio threw back biting replies anytime she could, the original topic long forgotten.

Next was Nanaka, who was prattling about everything and nothing, a glass of a ginger ale in one hand while her other hand was wrapped around Tenri's shoulders... except Tenri had wings on her back and a halo above her head and the look on her face was matching Kusunoki's.

The loop was closed with Chihiro, who leaned back when Sumire returned and sat between the band leader and Ayumi – a spot closest to the kitchen.

"So that means tonkotsu is not really taken, right?" the restaurant owner started and smiled at Keima, proving that she heard enough to understand what was being discussed.

"Actually, he's very much taken!" Ayumi responded, wrapping her hands around Keima's arm and leaning into him, as if to protect him from the rāmen lover. Keima hissed, but kept quiet, observing Sumire with some apprehension.

"Then you should have no problem with a little kiss to prove it!"

This somehow managed to get the attention of everyone around. Surprised gazes and blinks quickly turned into excited, expectant and even challenging looks. Ayumi's face exploded into red and a fast glance at Keima proved he was not faring much better. He looked to the side and moved his head up and down ever so slightly. She read it as a "yes, but don't get overboard" message.

Thus, Ayumi leaned closer, slung her hands over Keima's neck and kissed him. It was probably the most embarrassing kiss in her life.

"Look at him, blushin' like that!" Nanaka giggled when they separated.

"He's always blushing in a situation like this" Mio said matter-of-factly.

"Senpais... so cool..." Minami exclaimed with shinning eyes.

Keima narrowed his eyes in response, but even the God of Conquest couldn't glare at ten or so girls at once.

(* * *)

The party was going for about an hour now and half of the various snacks on the table were already gone courtesy of several girls and more than one goddess.

As Ayumi predicted, Keima was surrounded by a few girls, who wanted to use this opportunity to catch up with him. At least Ayumi hoped that was all what it was. Still, she kept an eye on him, while he was somehow managing to keep three different conversations going at the same time.

"Umm... excuse me" a new voice suddenly interrupted, making several heads turn in the direction of the entrance, to see a figure wearing a thick cloak, completely out of place in this season.

"Who are you?" Yui asked, as if she was the owner of the place.

"The shop is closed for today" Sumire added, while Nanaka and Mio put their hands on Yui's mouth.

At this point, however, Eri let out a small "eek", walked up to the new person and literally jumped on her with an overjoyed "Kanon-chan!" eliciting a perfectly synchronized chorus of "EEH?!"

"I'm sorry for being so late" the person took off her cloak, revealing the idol's pink hair and frame-less glasses. "But I convinced the manager-san to give me the evening off" she handed a small box to Ayumi. "Here's your present!"

"I'm really glad I managed to finish it yesterday!" Kanon said, while Yui and Mio walked to the entrance, as if they were expecting a crowd of reporters to wait outside.

"Whaddya mean 'managed to finish'?" Nanaka asked blatantly, clearly proving she had a little more than enough ginger ale by now. "Ain't dat jus' a shimple CD? How ish dat-Ouch! Hey, what waz dat for?" the shōgi gamer asked after Chihiro somehow managed to reach over Diana and elbow her.

Kanon, however, seemed not to notice.

"This is my latest album. Actually, it's not released yet. It was finished for a week, except for one song" the idol explained, pointing to one particular track on the list of songs.

"Love makes the world go 'round" Ayumi read the title of the song aloud. "What about it?"

"Yes, what about it?" Eri repeated, her starry gaze focused on Kanon.

The idol smiled.

"It's a song about you and Keima-kun!"

Oh, yeah, Ayumi thought. Kanon did mention something like that in that email back then.

"Wha? It's that for real?" Yui asked leaning over the table. "You have a copy of your own song before it's even released! It has to be a great song!"

"I bet it's beautiful" Tsukiyo commented.

"And it has g-great lyrics for sure as well" Shiori added in a small voice.

"Not that I'm particularly interested, but how about a copy for me?" Keima asked. "This is a song about me as well."

"It's not your birthday, Keima-kun" Kanon replied. "Besides you got a parting gift from me before, right?"

"You mean the kiss or the voltage?" the gamer deadpanned, but flinched when Kanon's hand shot to her pocket and-

"Aww! And I wanted a copy too!" Eri whined.

"As one of my biggest fans you're a special case" Kanon appeared before the female Katsuragi in a flash, handing her another CD.

"Thank you, Kanon-chan you're the best" Eri said happily.

"Yeah, thanks" Ayumi said, actually eager to listen to the song.

"Glad you like it" the idol said, taking the empty seat between Kusunoki and Minami, making both girls fidget nervously. That was only a beginning though, because immediately after that Kanon's body flashed white. Then she grabbed a cookie, popped it in her mouth and put her hands around the junior swimmer and the senior martial artist, bringing them closer.

"Alrighty then!" Apollo exclaimed happily, while spreading feathers everywhere. "Let's get this party started!"

(* * *)

Minute by minute the party became more chaotic and soon Ayumi lost track of who was seating where.

Tsukiyo, Urara and Vulcan (Luna) decided to have a "ladies tea party (plus snacks)" on the side and dragged Kusunoki and Shiori with them. The martial artist and the riffraff bibliophile looked torn between being frightened and honored.

Mars and Apollo were apparently testing whether a goddess could get drunk on a ginger ale and made a bet who'll back down first. It was supposed to be a two-sided competition, but no competition could happen without Nanaka.

Diana (from a mirror), Minami and, surprisingly, Minerva were squinting their eyes, carefully observing the ribbon in Tenri's hand to not miss the moment when it'll disapp-huh? It was gone! Two gestures later the lost object was found when Tenri pulled it out of Minerva's ear. Tenri smiled when she saw their amazed expressions. Then she turned around... and blanched when she ended up practically face-to-face with Mercury, who was wide-awake and observing her "teleportation tricks" with suspicion and scrunched forehead.

Someone said "karaoke!" and immediately after that Shiori and Keima stood up at the same time with "I have to go to the bathroom!", before sprinting away. Soon enough a music was playing from cell phones, while various girls were singing the lyrics. Of course, Kanon and the 2-B pencils were the focus of attention.

Keima was back quickly, but was still dragged into singing together with Ayumi and after that Chihiro asked him to perform "Dreaming traveler of an integrated circuit", but Keima blatantly refused.

Shiori emerged from the bathroom several minutes later, when the singing sounds quieted down considerably. She was walking back to the group when she passed a table where Ayumi left all her presents for the time being. Shiori briefly wondered how the runner planned to take all of it home with her when something caught her attention.

It was the one present that Ayumi didn't open. A present from Kasuga-senpai's older sister. Shiori tried to ignore it, but the curiosity was winning. It wouldn't hurt to take a quick look by herself, right? After a moment of hesitation the bookworm walked to the box, opened it and scrunched her forehead.

What was that?

It was a little dark in the hallway, so she pulled the thing out of the box to see better, but she still had to squint her eyes.

Were this clothes? If so then they were really weird. Like full of holes... Unless... this mesh was intentional. Like a lace. Shiori spread the garment in front of her.

If those things were to be less black, less silky and less lacy then they would look almost like a pair of women's panties and a bra.

…

… …

… … …

(* * *)

"Is something wrong, Shiori?" Tsukiyo asked. "Your face is all red."

"I-I'm fine."

(* * *)

Ayumi was greatly surprised when she noticed that it was eight in the evening already and Kanon announced she had to get going as her manager's car parked outside the restaurant. Soon after that Minami had to leave as well with Tenri accompanying her even though Mars offered to "fly them home quickly, so they could stay a little longer."

After that the party started to slow down and people started to leave. By nine only Keima, Ayumi, Chihiro, Eri and Sumire were left.

"I guess now it's the cleaning time" Ayumi said, handing Keima a duster, while Eri and her broom were already doing their thing.

"There's one thing that's bothering me" Chihiro said, while moving one of the tables with Ayumi. "You said that Katsuragi was guarded by Hell just in case, right?"

"Yeah" the runner replied.

"So why weren't they guarding this party?" ugh... why is this table so damn heavy? "It's like all of us in one place! A perfect chance for attack!"

"Maybe they were guarding us from some distance?"

"Still, it would be wise to have one guardian in the restaurant."

"Maybe they had. They can turn invisible, you know?"

Chihiro chuckled. "We would've noticed them. No way they could hide themselves in all this commotion!"

"I beg to disagree" a calm voice interrupted, accompanied with some shuffling. Chihiro and Ayumi looked down only to see a small girl with tattered scythe and a small notepad... sitting on the table they were carrying.

"Whoa!" Chihiro stepped back, dropping the table in the process.

"So that's why it was so heavy" Ayumi said, not that surprised, as she met the small devil before. "Don't you think that was a little rude?"

"With you muscle strength it should be no problem" Rimyuel responded.

Ayumi blinked, not sure if it was a compliment or an insult.

"You mean you were here the entire time?" Chihiro accused with a shaky finger.

"Of course she was" Keima commented from the other side of the room.

"How would you know that?" Rimyuel questioned with a neutral expression. "You didn't look at me even once during this event."

"Hmpf! Didn't look at you? Why would I need to do that?" Keima repositioned his glasses. "So many people at one place. So much research material. You wouldn't miss a chance like that. It's common development for a mad scientist character like you... in games."

"Is that so?" Rimyuel said with a perfect poker face, but the mask was shattered when suddenly Sumire appeared in front of her.

"So this is what a devil looks like?" the rāmen lover asked with a smile. "So cute! Isn't that what you would call a loli?"

"I'll have you know that I'm over 300 years old and-" Sumire never learned what Rimyuel wanted to say next, because suddenly there was a loud cry of "onee-sama!" and the next instant Rimyuel found herself on the floor with Eri actually _snuggling_ into her.

"I missed you so much, Rimyuel-neesama!" the former Irma devil said.

"I get, I get it... now get off me!" Rimyuel said in clear panic, looking similar to how Keima reacted around Yui.

"Aww! That's cute!" Sumire cooed.

Snap!

"Huh? Did you just take a picture?" Rimyuel asked, turning to Chihiro.

"Yup."

Rimyuel blanched for a moment before blushing lightly. "You've no right! It's confidential! Delete this picture at once! This is a very bad idea!"

"I think it's a very good idea" Keima interrupted with a creepy smile, while taking a picture as well.

"No, stop it!"

"No."

"Onee-sama!"

(* * *)

"That was a nice party!" Chihiro announced cheerfully.

Her and Ayumi were now going back to the train station, while Eri stayed behind to "catch up with Rimyuel-neesama".

"Only nice? I feel hurt" Ayumi replied jokingly.

"You shouldn't. It's not your fault" the band leader replied before eyeing the last person accompanying them. "It's his."

Keima didn't really react, clicking through his game as usual.

"Hey, I just insulted your present choice, otamega! Don't act as if you didn't hear that."

"Oh, cut him some slack. The present wasn't bad" Ayumi chipped in before examining her new console. Actually, this could be useful. And maybe, just maybe, it was a sign Keima was trying to introduce her to his world, which would be good.

Kinda.

"You're too soft on him!" Chihiro told her, although she was still looking at Keima as if this reply was directed to him. "Honestly, he's trying to wrap you around his gaming fingers" she accused, waited for his reactions and when she got none she continued. "You're not even denying it!"

Keima paused his PFP and put it away before answering.

"And you as always make premature conclusions."

"You bought Ayumi a console as a present and I'm commenting on that" Chihiro said with narrowed eyes. "What's 'premature' about it?"

Keima remained silent for a few seconds and then he turned his head around sharply, looking at his shoulder as if he was expecting to see something there.

And immediately after that Ayumi felt a gust of wind near her, as if someone just walked past her.

"Finally" Keima said. "Come" he motioned to both girls before leading them into a rather dark alley.

"What's this about? Are you planning something creepy, otame-WHOA!" Chihiro exclaimed suddenly and Ayumi didn't blame her.

After all, the sight of Haqua materializing out of thin air was surprising to say the least.

"Good evening" the devil girl said. "And I'm sorry I didn't come to your party... I was stopped by... official duties."

"Don't worry about it" Ayumi said, while scratching her head. Did she appear just to apologize?

"You're late" Keima said, narrowing his eyes at Haqua.

"We didn't decide on the exact time" the violet-haired devil replied.

"You've _deliberately_ waited for Chihiro to scold me before appearing."

"I don't know what you're talking about" Haqua defended herself, before turning to Ayumi. "So, how did you like my present?"

Ayumi and Chihiro blinked at that.

"Your present?" they both asked at the same time.

"Yes" Keima replied. "The PFP was my idea, but Haqua paid for the most of it, so it's really a present from her."

"That's right" the devil confirmed. "I thought this is not a kind of present a boyfriend should buy for his girlfriend. But Katsuragi insisted, so I told him I'll buy it."

"W-wait a moment" Chihiro interrupted and turned to Keima, panic in her voice. "That means you didn't give Ayumi a present at all!"

"And that's why your comments were premature" the gamer said before turning to Haqua. "Did you bring it?"

The devil smiled and handed Keima a package that was invisible until now. Keima then handed it to Ayumi.

"Aren't you going to open it?" he asked when Ayumi just continued to stand there dumbfounded.

"Um... yeah."

"You said you were using the shoes I gave you for the official meets, so it would be a shame not to have a complete set for such meets" Keima commented. "Well, you're still lacking one last piece, but I couldn't decide between shorts and bloomers."

Ayumi didn't respond, her eyes fixed on the shirt she was holding in her hands. It was high quality, but still fairly normal shirt. Except, the inscription on the back of the shirt read "Ayumi Takahara" in bright red letters.

And the front read "The Mai High Unguided Missile."

"This... this is great" Ayumi said, barely stopping her voice from cracking. "But, I can't wear it for the meets... Wouldn't want to get it dirty."

"Don't worry" Haqua chipped it. "It was enhanced with magic. It shouldn't tear and you should be able to wash it just fine no matter how dirty it becomes."

"Yes, Haqua helped me to prepare that" Keima confirmed and extended his hand to the devil. "And the same can be said about this" he added before handing Ayumi another rectangular package. Ayumi took it with shaky hands and unwrapped it.

It was some kind of book... with her and Keima's faces on the cover.

"What's this?" Chihiro asked, looking over Ayumi's shoulder as the runner turned the first page.

And became speechless.

The book was a photo album, the first few pages containing photos from their date a few days ago. The pages after that remained blank, clearly waiting to be filled with more photos.

"How did you do this? When did you take those photos?" Ayumi asked. Keima just gestured to Haqua, who laughed nervously.

"I was kind of observing you two."

Ayumi turned her attention back to the album. And smiled.

"That's... nice... really nice... good job, Katsuragi" Chihiro said after a moment, this time directing her words to Ayumi and completely ignoring the glare that Keima was sending her way.

"You should at least apologize, you real wom-"

"Warning" Ayumi mumbled out.

"Huh?" Chihiro and Haqua asked and then widened her eyes when Ayumi all but tackled Keima and embraced him.

"Ugh!" Keima exclaimed when the runner wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thank you" she said, overcome by emotions. So that's how it feels to actually have a boyfriend?

Keima didn't reply, looking positively shocked and fuzzy for a few moments, before he reluctantly returned the hug while looking away. Chihiro seemed surprised by this unexpected spectacle as well. Haqua just smiled gently, before sighing.

"I would have loved to stay longer" she started. "But paperwork awaits me. See you some other time."

And with this she was gone.

(* * *)

During their return trip on the train Ayumi was definitely in a good mood, practically humming to herself. Chihiro, on the other hand, tried to remain insubstantial. She apologized to Keima ("yeah, yeah, I'm sorry otamega"), but she still was expecting some snarky comments directed her way.

But none came.

Keima was sitting next to Ayumi and seemed completely immersed in his game. However, Chihiro couldn't know that the game he was playing was one of the galges he had already completed several times before and could beat it with his eyes closed. Thus, he was just pressing buttons and setting flags on reflex, while his mind was preoccupied with something else.

Glances. Blushing. Talking. Holding hands. Hugs. Kisses.

That was the order of things and there was a certain rule to it – each stage was more powerful then the last. Until now, he had experienced over 30 real kisses in his life, and from almost 20 different _real_ females, so he was somewhat knowledgeable in this regard. On the other hand, the number of _real_ man-to-woman hugs he had received in his life was next to zero. Thus, with enough ignorance, he could just assume that his reaction to Ayumi's embrace was caused by his surprise and lack of experience.

But he was not ignorant. That event happened only once, but the effect it had on him was not happening for the first time and Keima took note of it. But what was the cause of it? He thought about it, but couldn't find the answer. Of course, he rejected all impossible solutions and focused on the remaining ones. But they didn't make sense.

He was aware that he came to view _some_ of the real girls as somewhat charming. He glanced at Ayumi. Yes, she was a much better heroine than when he first tried to conquer her.

And yes – she was now trying to conquer him. Actually, he had seriously considered the possibility that she was starting to succeed. Was his heart swayed by her? He did promise he will give her a chance, so if that happened then he would be in serious trouble.

But after pondering the situation he found out the surprising answer.

It did not happen. His heart was not swayed. Yes, Ayumi was a lot closer to him now. She was his friend (not that he needed those). They were two allies on their journey through reality. He kind of accepted her and cared for her. But that was it. He didn't love her. That's for sure.

But if love was not the cause of his current issue, then what was? Maybe he should consider some of the solutions he previously deemed impossible...

No, he thought as he turned his attention back to the console.

It couldn't possibly be that.

 **(* * *)**

 **So there it is. As you have probably noticed... this wasn't actual birthday (because it's May 1) and Ayumi is technically still seventeen, but whatever. :)**

 **The end of this chapter was difficult... I don't know if I've worded Keima's thoughts correctly. It can be pretty relevant in the upcoming chapters.  
**

 **Today's normal references are brought to you by Simpsons the Movie (2007) and Ace Ventura (1994).  
**

 **And the perfectly symmetrical reference is brought to you by Death the Kid from Soul Eater.  
**

 **As for the next chapter I would like to post it before December 27, but I have to write it first... :/**

 **Anyway, as usual don't hesitate to drop me a review at your leisure. Favs and follows are appreciated as well.**

 **See you next time and Merry Christmas! :)**

 **(* * *)**

 **And finally, here's the second part of Tenri/Diana/Nora pokémake:**

 **Nora used Rage. Nora's attack rose! Nora used Sword Dance. Nora's attack greatly rose!**

 **(* * *)**

 **? ? ? used Mirror Move. ? ? ? used Chatter. ? ? ? is now known as Diana!**

 **Keima used Outrage.**

 **(Nora used Metal Claw. Nora's attack breaks the substitute!)**

 **Keima used Nasty Plot. Keima used Metronome. Keima used Minami's runaway spirit. But it failed!**

 **(Nora used Metal Claw. Nora's attack breaks another substitute!)**

 **Elsie used Fly. Elsie flew up high!**

 **Keima used Spare Batteries. Huh? What was that?**

 **Diana and Tenri used Whisper.**

 **(Nora used Metal Claw. Nora's attack breaks all remaining substitutes!)**

 **Nora appears! Nora used Sky Attack. But it missed!**

 **Nora used Bludgeon Arm. Diana used Protect. Diana protected Keima!**

 **Diana used Pick-up Bride Style. Diana used Bounce.**

 **Nora sent out Ryou! Ryou is loafing around! Diana and Keima got away safely!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Tenri used Tile Break. Tenri used Dig.**

 **Keima is confused. Keima used Flashback. It's super effective!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Young Keima used Play Game.**

 **Teacher used Nag. Young Keima got onto Akanemaru. Young Keima used Protect. Young Keima used Defense Curl.**

 **Real used Earthquake. Real used Magnitude. Magnitude 3!**

 **Young Keima is confused! Young Keima has been stranded on Akanemaru!**

 **Young Tenri appears.**

 **(* * *)**

 **Keima used Amnesia. Diana used Rage. Diana used Baton Pass. Diana used Double Slap. Hit 1 time! Critical hit!**

 **Keima used Flashback. It's super effective!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Young Keima used Don't Follow Me. But it failed! Young Tenri is ignoring orders.**

 **Young Keima and Tenri entered Maijima Cave.**

 **Huh? It's dark. Young Tenri used Flash. A blinding flash lights the area!**

 **Young Keima and Tenri used... Move. Young Keima and Tenri used Chatter.**

 **Young Tenri used Cry. Keima used Bestow. Tenri now has bentou and candies!**

 **Young Keima and Tenri used Chatter.**

 **? ? ? used Dark Void. It's pitch-black! Young Tenri and Keima are confused!**

 **? ? ? used Earthquake.**

 **Young Keima used Holding Hand. ? ? ? used Rock Throw. It's super effective! Young Keima is blacked out! Young Keima is fast asleep! Young Keima used Amnesia.**

 **? ? ? used Flash. A blinding flash lights the area!**

 **Weiss appear. Weiss used Growl. Young Tenri is confused!**

 **Weiss used Denial. Weiss said "Won't get caught!".**

 **Weiss used Detect. Weiss and Young Tenri used Struggle.**

 **Young Tenri used Protect. But it failed!**

 **Diana appears. Diana used Assist. Young Tenri is now hosting Diana!**

 **Diana used Baton Pass! Diana used Bulk Up. Diana used Extreme Speed. Diana and Young Keima got away safely!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Diana and Keima used Chatter. Keima used Sketch.**

 **Diana used Exposition.**

 **Nora appears! Nora used Dig. Keima and Diana used Rage.**

 **Ryou appears! Nora can't move! Diana used Rock Throw. Nora and Ryou can't move!**

 **Diana and Keima got away safely!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Diana used Bestow. Keima now has a weakened Runaway Spirit!**

 **Diana used Baton Pass. Keima used Follow Me.**

 **Elsie appears! Elsie used Apology.**

 **Keima and Elsie used Chatter. Tenri used Small Smile.**

 **Keima used Nasty Lovers Plot. Tenri is confused! Elsie used Wrap.**

 **Nora and Ryou appear!**

 **Ryou used Breast Power. Nora used Low Kick. Ryou kept falling and crashed!**

 **Keima used Love Confession. Tenri is frozen solid! Tenri used Steam Eruption. Tenri is ignoring orders!**

 **Nora used Insult. Keima used Counter.**

 **Tenri used Confession. Keima used Wrap. Tenri is confused!**

 **Keima used Titanic Kiss. It's super effective! One-hit KO! Tenri fainted!**

 **Elsie used Weiss. Nora used Pursuit.**

 **Diana got away safely.**

 **Tenri, Diana & Nora arc ended. Diana got 100000 love points! Diana reached level 30!**

 **Diana learned Heavenly Halo!**


	12. Flag 32: Premonition

**Happy New Year, everyone! :)  
**

 **Here it is, the next chapter of AyumiNomi!**

 **Sorry for the long delay. I originally planned to release this chapter much earlier, but there were... issues.**

 **Anyway, thank you for your support for the last chapter. Here are the replies to reviews:**

 **Gonzalor94:** it's a pleasure to read your reviews as well. Glad, you were surprised. Actually, you don't need to review _that_ quickly. :)

 **Hikigaya:** Well, I was thinking about making things a little more... competitive, but the story would have progressed a lot slower if I did it. And the party was a little bit of a mess, anyway.

 **Shawn Raven:** it was actually hard to come up with all the presents. Yes. It was lingerie. :) Of course Rimyuel had to be invisible. Any scientist knows you have to minimize your interference while performing an experiment. It's better to observe people when they don't know they're being observed. :) And yeah... flustered Rimyuel for the win! xD

 **Skullcandyklive:** once again I'm glad you were caught off guard. That means I did my job right. :) I'm also happy my portrayal of various characters seemed okay. Well, in other stories you'll probably see that I'm viewing some of them in a different way than most people, but we'll get to that. And I'm not so optimistic about "the thoughts in the end". You don't know what I planned later on. I do. I just hope my explanation last time was good enough. We'll see soon enough.

 **There are more things to announce, but they're better said after the chapter.**

 **And sorry for the crappy chapter title... I'm not doing well with titles lately...**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(* * *)**

"Okay guys, anybody for some meat buns?" the band leader asked as the 2-B pencils were leaving the school grounds after practice.

"Oh c'mon, not today too" surprisingly, it was Miyako who objected.

"What's wrong with meat buns?" Chihiro asked.

"Nothing... eating them three days in a row is fine" Miyako said gently. "But four is kinda... you know..."

"It's just too much, girl!" Yui interjected blatantly with a smile. "Way, way too much!"

"You're a girl too" Miyako noticed, while Chihiro was looking offended. "Then how about some rāmen?"

"Nah... I had enough of rāmen lately, especially the sweet one" the band leader rebutted, before brightening up. "It has to be meat buns then!"

"Chihiro-san..." Eri pleaded gently.

"So even you're against me, you little devil!" Chihiro scolded Eri playfully, receiving a small cry in return.

"Calling her a devil was a little uncalled for..." Miyako replied, oblivious of the hidden reference. "Ooh" she exclaimed as if she suddenly got an idea. "How about a café?"

"Sounds fine to me" Chihiro said, more focused on the idea of cakes than coffee. "So? Where to exactly?"

Miyako smiled. "I think we could try Katsuragi's house."

"No!" Ayumi responded for the first time since they left their clubroom, startling even Yui.

"Why not?" Miyako asked, genuinely curious.

"Just no" Ayumi answered.

"Come to think of it" the freckled girl continued as if she didn't hear the runner speak. "Katsuragi wasn't at your birthday party. And you said not to mention him there either. You guys fought or something?"

"No!" Ayumi replied, before calming down. "It's just... that our parents don't know about... us. And me and Keima decided to keep it that way. For now."

"It sounds as if-"

"Your and Keima-kun's parents don't approve?" Yui interjected, getting too close to Ayumi. "You're eloping?"

"Don't be stupid!" the runner said. "Ugh! Can we just get to that café over there and be done?"

(* * *)

"Alright, so what it's all about?" Yui asked with Chihiro and Eri sitting next to her.

"It's nothing really" Ayumi responded, sipping on her coffee. "And it's not like we can talk about it here with Miyako around."

"She just went to the toilet" Eri noticed.

"But she will be here in a moment."

"Not if I stop her on her way back" Yui smiled.

"As if you could stall her for that long" Chihiro said. It was obviously a bait, but Yui took it, hook, line and sinker.

"Is that a challenge?" the drummer stood up. "Then you just wait. Don't forget to tell me all about it later!" and with this she was gone towards the toilet.

"So... what did otamega do this time?" Chihiro asked when it was only her, Eri and Ayumi.

"Nothing" the runner responded reluctantly.

"Oh, c'mon, we're not buying it."

"But I mean it" Ayumi hid her head in her hands. "It's almost a week after the birthday party, but... nothing really happened."

"What do you mean nothing?" Chihiro asked. "Wasn't there a second date three days ago?"

"Yes, there was, but it wasn't... stellar."

"I can't say I understand" the band leader spoke. Eri was silent.

"I don't know how to explain it" Ayumi admitted. "I can't honestly say he enjoys our dates, but I don't think he dislikes them either. I even managed to drag him into a photo booth this time, to add something to the album. And I know I shouldn't be expecting Kami-knows-what at this stage..."

"I've never thought I would be forced to ask this" Chihiro started reluctantly. "But have you tried to... borrow games from him?"

"Yes" Ayumi replied. "And he lend me some. They were actually kinda nice... but around that time things started to become... quiet. I mean he barely talks with me at school. It's frustrating!" she paused for a few moments. "I think he's distancing himself from me..."

"It's not just you, you know?" Chihiro replied. "After that party he was distancing himself from pretty much everyone. You, me, all the girls. Not to mention Yui. He was even playing... well, trying to play games in Nagase-sensei's class. I thought that he had too much contact with the real and it was just his way of relieving the stress from that party. Like he was regressing."

"And it's not just at school!" Eri chipped in. "Nii-sama acts detached at home too!"

"Well, then there are three solutions I can think of" Chihiro spoke. "First, the party was too much for him and you need to cut the boy some slack... or" the band leader continued with a Darth Vader voice. "Or make your move now and then Katsuragi's journey to the dark side of the real will be complete!"

"Not helping, Chihiro-san!" Eri said.

"Anyway, the second possibility is that your strategy is working and Katsuragi's just in denial."

"That would be nice, wouldn't it?" the bassist tried with a smile.

"What's the third option?" Ayumi asked. "Let me guess. My strategy isn't working and Keima have lost any interest he had in me?"

"Well... yeah" Chihiro admitted, but then quickly continued. "But he said he would give you a chance, right? He said he wouldn't leave you when you've got no other guy in sight. Then again..." she leaned back with her coffee. "Katsuragi isn't known for keeping his promises. At least not every promise."

"It's fine" Eri suddenly said with a gentle voice. "I think nii-sama just needs more time. So cheer up, Ayumi-san."

"Thanks, Eri" the runner responded with a small smile. "You're the best."

"And I'm what? Chopped liver?" Chihiro asked, indignant.

"No, you're our nagging band leader!" Ayumi replied and Eri giggled.

"Hey, nagging is one of my best qualities. I'm proud of it!"

"What are you guys talking about?" a new voice was heard when Miyako was suddenly back and sitting next to Chihiro. "Are you gossiping without me?"

"No, what makes you think that?" the band leader asked.

"Because half the things you say is gossip!" Yui said, also back on her seat.

"No, it isn't" Chihiro defended, but her remark was met with a collective laughter.

(* * *)

The next day promised to be just as unproductive as the previous one. Keima waited at Ayumi in front of her house and then proceeded to walk with her to school while playing his games and with no words spoken between them besides "good morning".

Or at least that's what it looked like in the beginning, because a minute or so into the walk Ayumi suddenly sensed something.

She turned to look at Keima, but he seemed to be focused on his games as normal. Could it be her imagination? Was she so desperate for attention that she started to imagine things?

(* * *)

After they have reached the school the things returned to normal. In this case "normal" meaning a homeroom with a nagging Nagase-sensei. The period after that was English and Kodama-sensei apparently was afraid for his title of the most nagging teacher and took it up a notch, acting as if the mid-term exams were about to happen in June instead of November. Of course, Kodama did not spare Ayumi, spending a good minute lecturing her, but he finally got off her case.

And then she felt it again. The feeling of being watched.

It wasn't exactly something new – her classmates watched her on regular basis. This even extended to some girls and of course to people outside school. She wouldn't want to sound immodest, but it was true.

She was a healthy, fit and fairly attractive teenage girl. And she made heads turn once in a while.

And her winning the recent competition and going out with Keima actually seemed to make her more desirable as some guys still believed they would be able to cure her from her "otamega disease".

Well... Ayumi believed a good dentist would be able to do something about the teeth she had knocked out.

Anyway... maybe it was a sixth sense or a woman's intuition, but what she felt now seemed somewhat different. She turned her head right, but Keima wasn't looking at her.

However, he wasn't playing his games either. He _was_ looking at something and his gaze seemed strangely attentive. Ayumi followed his line of sight.

And her heart sank.

Keima was watching Chihiro.

Could his affection for the band leader started anew? Did it ever disappear in the first place? Was Keima lying that he didn't feel anything for her, after all? Was it Ayumi's fault? Did she tarry too much and lost her chance? Did she have any chance in the first place?

Her head was full of dark thoughts and who knows how it would have ended, when Kodama suddenly left Chihiro alone and moved to stand in front of Eri, making the former devil gulp audibly. Almost everyone turned to watch their teacher torment the female Katsuragi with looks ranging from pity to relief.

Everyone except for Ayumi and Keima. The former continued to look at the latter, while the gamer shifted his gaze to another female. But it wasn't Ayumi, Chihiro or Eri. And it wasn't even Kanon (who was absent of course).

It was Miyako.

Ayumi had enough common sense left to pinch herself, but it didn't work – Keima was still continuing to observe the girl with this strange _focused_ gaze. Ayumi watched Miyako for a moment as well, but noticed nothing unusual about the freckled girl. She was looking normal. Heck, from Keima's perspective she was probably even more plain and _real_ than Chihiro. Yes, she was one of the girls who didn't think of Keima as an otamegane, but she also had (involuntarily) interfered with his conquests a few times in the past.

What could possible make Keima suddenly take interest in her of all people?

A few moments later Kodama moved to the back of the class to where Mobuko Ikarino was seated. The brown haired girl was one of Kodama's favorites. As in true favorites, as she actually did well on tests. Almost as well as Miyako. And she didn't play games in class unlike Keima.

This time the class followed Kodoma as well, but with less friendly gazes, apparently disturbed by the teacher's display of favoritism. And Keima did so as well, however he wasn't observing Kodama but the girl, confusing Ayumi to no end.

Miyako was still somewhat understandable. But Mobuko?

For a moment Ayumi thought that Keima could just be getting interested in the real, but she was quickly proved wrong. As soon as Kodama moved to one of the male students Keima resumed his gaming, although with a furrowed brow and clearly displeased expression.

So it was only girls? But no... Keima ignored Kodama from this point onward, even though the teacher lectured at least three more girls before returning to the blackboard for the main part of the lesson.

Ayumi shot Chihiro a significant glance, but the band leader raised her eyebrow, obviously oblivious as to what Ayumi was implying.

(* * *)

"You're joking, right?" the short-haired girl asked when Ayumi told her what happened as soon as the lunch break started.

"No, I'm not" Ayumi responded. "And I don't know what's going on!"

"Are you sure you're not exaggerating things?"

"I've seen it. What's there to exaggerate?"

"You know" Chihiro started cautiously. "You might just be jealous..."

"W-what?!"

"It makes sense... I would be jealous if my boyfriend was looking at other girls. Especially when we're talking about an insensitive jerk as Katsuragi."

"Whatever" Ayumi replied. "It was probably nothing anyway."

And then a new voice resounded with a soft "Hello".

Ayumi and Chihiro turned around only to see...

"Shiratori-san?" Ayumi asked on reflex, making several people turn in their direction. Keima included.

"Urara is fine" the girl replied.

"Did you come to visit us?" Chihiro questioned, but she felt that that wasn't it.

"Well, it would be nice to hang out after school, but right now it's study time, I'm afraid. If you excuse me" and with that she approached Keima's desk, followed closely by a few pairs of curious eyes.

"Good day, Katsuragi-san" Urara started, putting a physics book on Keima's desk. "Would you mind helping me a bit with this?"

"Can't it wait?" Keima replied, putting his console away, as if afraid she was going to break it again. "It's a lunch break and I'd like to buy myself something to eat, you know?"

Urara put a sandwich on his desk, obviously a step ahead of him. Keima sighed.

"Fine. What seems to be the problem?"

Urara pointed to a section of the book. Keima looked at it for a moment.

"That's not high school stuff" he noticed. "Why do I have to teach you that?"

Urara handed him a case that could only be a galge game.

After that Keima agreed to tutor her, his entire being calm and unaffected. Which was weird considering that the boys in the room were sending him death glares. Ayumi couldn't really say she blamed them. After all, it was hard to ignore a girl like Urara.

"Why him..." some guy whined quietly, while clenching his fist. Ayumi made a mental note to make sure that Keima was not being bullied later.

For a few more moments Ayumi and Chihiro have been observing Keima tutor Urara and the runner sighed in relief as it seemed that the Shiratori heiress was truly here only for educational purposes. However...

"Oookay" Chihiro spoke quietly. "That _is_ weird."

And Ayumi didn't have to ask what she meant. Urara was studying, trying to solve some problem by herself using what Keima taught her moments before. And Keima was studying as well. But he wasn't studying physics.

He was studying Urara.

As in looking at her. Not at his console, not at his desk, not at her book, but at her. Keima Katsuragi was actually looking at a girl like a normal person would. Now, Keima becoming interested in Mobuko or Miyako would be a minor issue. With Chihiro it was a major one. But with Urara it was more like critical hit. A full-scale disaster.

And yes. Ayumi was jealous.

"Breathe" Chihiro whispered, but Ayumi wasn't sure whether she was talking to her or to herself. "Deep. Calm. Breaths."

(* * *)

"Okay, guys! Let's give it our all today!" Yui announced at the start of practice as if she was the band leader.

"You seems really motivated today, Yui" Miyako said, getting her keyboard ready. "I mean more than usual."

"Of course I am!" the drummer replied with a smile. "After all, we have audience today!" she added while pointing to the other part of the room where on a single chair Keima was sitting.

"That's right" Chihiro confirmed. She was strangely stiff, her movements reluctant, as if she couldn't decide between being embarrassed, honored, suspicious or angry. "We should give our best performance, right?"

"Y-yeah" Ayumi replied weakly.

Eri didn't say anything, too nervous with the prospect of her brother actually watching her perform out of the blue.

"Ano, don't take it the wrong way" Miyako spoke with a small smile. "But it's unusual for you to offer to listen to us, Karsuragi."

"Well, don't get used to it" Keima replied in his normal voice. "I just thought you might appreciate some outside opinion."

Miyako nodded, but it was obvious she didn't buy it. None of the them did, except for Yui who didn't care.

"Okay, let's start."

(* * *)

"So, what do you think?" once again it was Miyako who asked this after the band finished the song, as the others weren't eager to speak.

"Well, the good news is that you're certainly getting better" Keima said. "And your rhythm section is doing well too. You're drummer seems to be very talented..."

"Ahaha! That's right!" Yui said while scratching the back of her head, happy, but still a little embarrassed. "Drum is not my specialty though!"

"...but you should watch out for her temper." Keima continued, making Yui stop her bragging. "You shouldn't let her monopolize the scene. Fortunately, you have more level-headed and reasonable members. And skilled as well" Keima finished, looking at Miyako.

"I think you're overestimating me" Miyako replied with an outgoing smile. "I'm not that skilled."

"You are. Especially since you're doing track and field as well" Keima shifted his gaze to another person. "The same goes for you, Ayumi."

"T-thanks" the guitarist replied, face red, fingers fiddling with the strings.

"...but your bassist could use some improvement."

"That's mean nii-sama!" Eri said back, flailing her arms. "I've been training so hard!"

"Training?" Keima repeated, annoyed. "You need to have a better understanding of the basics! You should study more about the music! Take Chihiro as an example!"

"Ah... d-do you really mean that?" the band leader asked with an nervous smile.

"Yes" Keima replied. "But you, on the other hand, should work on your singing."

"How about you try singing, huh?!" Chihiro glared at the gamer.

"In general the band seems to be doing okay" Keima continued, completely ignoring Chihiro's remark. "Except you seemed strangely nervous when you were playing."

"Well... performing with audience is a little different" Ayumi spoke, trying to appear busy with her new amp.

"You've already performed for a much longer audience half a year ago" he noticed. "Are you regressing?"

Yes, they had performed during the Mai-High festival in front of dozens if not hundreds of people, but those people were normal high-schoolers in a festive mood that wanted to have fun. Now the audience was one anti-social gamer who was here to evaluate their performance. It should be easier to play for him, but it wasn't. It gets worse if said gamer openly shuns such "idiocies of the real" as bands. Ayumi was actually expecting him to start a lecture about how a high school girl band should look like.

...in games.

"Well, I can understand Ayumi being nervous" Miyako whispered with a sly smile before turning to the guitarist. "How does it feel to have your boyfriend listen to you playing?" before Ayumi could even blush Miyako spoke again, this time to Keima. "That's why you here today, right?"

"Yes" Keima replied.

As far as (blushing) Ayumi could tell he wasn't lying. He'd really come to watch her play. But she still wasn't sure _why_ he did it. One thing, however, was pretty clear.

Keima had been watching them. All of them.

Of course, she knew he wasn't going to just close his eyes and listen to the music. Seeing how the band members move was important as well. And his assessment was right on the spot, accurate and blunt – as expected of Keima. But Ayumi knew it was just an excuse.

Keima have come here to observe them. Ayumi wasn't sure whether Miyako noticed or not. But Yui and Eri sure did. The drummer was actually shy at first and then started to show off, obviously trying to impress Keima. Eri, on the other hand, looked completely and utterly confused.

And this time Ayumi was certain. He was looking at her too. Well, at least that was something.

But why? Was he getting samples from real girls? Was he getting interested in the real? But he was hardly talking to them. Could it just be a first step? Or... maybe they had a runaway spirits in them again? But why would they? And why at the same time? And wouldn't Eri know about this? Maybe Keima was now working with Haqua? Or maybe it was something different altogether...

But it couldn't be anything bad, right? It was either something irrelevant or something good. Maybe she should just give him some time, just as Eri advised. Ayumi was brought back to reality when Keima stood up and pulled his PFP out of his pocket.

"Are you leaving?" Yui asked. "We have more than one song we can play!"

"That one was enough" Keima replied calmly, already close to the door. "And you practice best without an audience, right?"

Besides, he got what he came for. He still wasn't 100% positive, but there was no point in further investigation. Now was the time for a solution.

And he needed to find one. Fast.

(* * *)

Later that day Eri stood in front of the door to Keima's room. After talking with Chihiro and Ayumi she was really worried. Was it okay to leaver her brother be and wait for the result? Or should she talk to him? It wouldn't hurt to try, right? So should she go inside? Well, she was his real sister now, so she had the right and the duty to be of assistance. On the other hand, disturbing nii-sama during his gaming time was never a good idea.

Speaking of gaming time... Eri brought her head closer to the door, listening for the characteristic voices of game heroines, background music, the clicks of buttons or at least the buzzing of various gaming consoles.

But she heard nothing. No, wait... there was a faint sound. A rustle. Like a sound of a pencil moving over a sheet of paper in a hurry. It definitely wasn't a sound of gaming.

"Nii-sama?" Eri said loud enough, so he would hear her even with headphones on. "Are you alright?"

There was no verbal answer, but the sound of paper rustling increased and she could also hear something falling over. That definitely required some investigation.

"I'm coming in!" fortunately the door wasn't closed and Eri entered the room.

As she had thought the monitors were all turned off and the same could be said for the gaming consoles. And Keima was not on his gaming throne, but by the desk. He was currently facing Eri, his face losing some of his cool. And he seemed to try to hide something behind his back.

Now, Eri wasn't the smartest tool in the shed and normally she wouldn't be able to figure it out. However, this time things were impossible to miss – the objects behind Keima's back might be hidden, but Eri still could see several crumpled sheets of paper on the floor around Keima's chair. Some have been obviously tossed aside and ended up on the other part of the room, closer to the door. Eri crouched to grab the closest ball of paper, but Keima practically flash-stepped and snatched the object away from her.

"What are you doing here?" he said his voice a mix of anger and fear. "Do you have no respect of privacy? You bug devil!"

"What are you doing here, nii-sama?" Eri asked, already unfolding a second piece of paper only to find it unreadable, as the text was clearly crossed out multiple times before being crumpled and thrown aside.

"That's none of your concern!" Keima grabbed the piece of paper from her hands before preemptively tearing it to shreds.

Eri didn't rebuke or rebut him, instead eyeing Keima's desk that was now uncovered and revealing that he had crumpled more than a half a notepad worth of pages.

"Now get out!" Keima told her. "Hey, are you listening?"

Eri wasn't. She was observing her environment, getting a feeling of déjà vu. She had seen a similar scene before. Actually, she had seen it many times. It was almost as if...

"Are you planning a conquest nii-sama?" she asked before she knew she did.

"W-what?!" he responded dumbfounded. "I'm not!"

"But we aren't hunting loose souls anymore and you can't find their carriers without my detector" Eri mused aloud, completely ignoring his answer, before getting similar idea to Ayumi's. "Are you helping Haqua?"

"Don't be stupid!" he all but yelled back at her.

"No...? Then are you making plans for some difficult game heroine?"

"What are you-yes, that's it. You've got me!" Keima replied with a smile.

"No, that's not it" Eri mumbled again, before her eyes lit up with realization. "Oh... _Oooh_..."

Keima stopped in mid-word, waiting for Eri to continue, full of bad feelings.

"You're going to conquer Ayumi-san!" Eri finished with a smile.

"Are you and idiot!?" Keima really screamed this time, silently hoping mom and dad weren't home. "Why the hell would I do _that_?"

"But why would you do it?" Eri echoed him. "Ayumi-san already likes you plenty..."

Keima grabbed Eri by her shoulders, making her look at him. "I. Am. Not. Conquering. Ayumi!" he explained calmly.

This _had_ to get through to her.

"Could it be... that you're unable to really go out with a real girl unless you conquer her first?"

Keima was out of words. Was his sister brain dead or something?

"Nii-sama?"

He didn't reply. Instead he picked Eri up bridal style.

"Eh? Eeeh!?"

Before the girl could question her brother's actions Keima brought her out of his room, dropped her to the floor, went back to his room and closed the door.

And locked it.

Eri blinked. So it was just a ruse to get her out of the room? That was a dirty and rude move, she thought before sighing. Typical nii-sama. Well, it didn't really matter now. As much as she wanted to learn more and just call Ayumi and tell her everything she know she shouldn't.

Nii-sama was knowledgeable about love in games. And Ayumi was a girl in love. They both had some kind of experience with this kind of thing. Eri had next to none. And even she realized that it was best to not interfere this time around.

With that in mind the female Katsuragi stood up from the floor and walked back to her room, leaving Keima be.

Well, his room was next to hers, so she could always just listen through the wall...

(* * *)

Next day Ayumi left her house as usual, but she quickly noticed that something was wrong. Keima wasn't there. And he didn't show up even though she waited for him. This was positively strange, but Ayumi decided not to make a big deal out of it. It's not like she expected him to always walk with her in the morning. Considering his quiet colder demeanor lately, it could actually be a welcome break.

When Ayumi got to school (and she had to run to get there on time) she realized that it wasn't that simple. Keima was not in their classroom, even though Eri was.

"I left first when nii-sama was still in his room" the female Katsuragi explained during the break, as if it was all her fault. "I've texted him, but he haven't answered me yet!"

Ayumi was puzzled, a hint of worry worming itself into her heart. What if something happened? But Keima had guardians.

That's right! She should just ask Haqua if everything was fine. Unfortunately, Eri had no means of contacting the violet-haired devil at the moment.

Maybe Keima just caught a sudden cold? He didn't seem as the most flu-resistant person around and he would definitely use such opportunity to stay home and play games. And she wouldn't even be able to pay him a visit because of this stupid "no coming home" rule.

But even assuming he was sick... shouldn't he still at least text her? Ayumi could bet girls and boys in games texted their significant other when something like that happened.

(* * *)

The uncertainty followed Ayumi the entire day, making it difficult to focus. She never realized just one day without hearing from Keima could make her this nervous. Yes, they didn't exactly meet everyday because of weekends, but the weekends were planned. This wasn't.

And he didn't reply to her email either.

At least Eri promised to check on him before she headed home, while Ayumi and Miyako went to track and field practice.

(* * *)

After practice Ayumi changed back in her school uniform and headed back home herself, while checking her phone. There were no emails from Keima.

But there was a message from Eri.

 _Nii-sama isn't at home. Mother says he left for school as usual._

This confused Ayumi even more, her worry increasing. She started a new mail, practically begging Keima to answer. Then she hit the send button. She barely managed to put her phone back in her pocket when she heard a familiar jingle.

 _Meiru da yo!_

Ayumi stopped abruptly. No, it's not possible, she thought as she slowly raised her head. But it was true.

In front of her stood Keima Katsuragi, the PFP that played the jingle surely in his pocket.

He was certainly alive and didn't look like he had a cold. But he didn't look normal either. For starters he looked as if he didn't get a wink of sleep last night, his hair sticking out more than usual. His shoulders were slumped as if he was carrying some heavy burden. And the expression on his face was serious, the look on his eyes both distant and focused. And...

...sad?

For a second or two Ayumi was too surprised to react. And then she opened her mouth, but was still unsure what to say.

Keima, on the other hand seemed to know what to say, even though his words were coming slowly.

"Ayumi" he started, voice uncharacteristically serious. "We need to talk."

She thought that too. Their relationship would definitely benefit from increased verbal communication. So what was this unrest she was feeling?

"I'm a wholesome dating sim gamer" Keima continued. What did that come from?

"I-I know that" Ayumi stuttered out.

"I've been watching you real girls lately."

"Y-yes, I noticed."

"And I've been wrong" Keima told her.

Ayumi blinked at him. Wrong? Wrong about what? About his "2-D girls are better" philosophy? Is that why he was looking like that? Did he spend entire night thinking about it? Her lips morphed into a small smile.

And then Keima spoke again.

"Real is no good."

"W-what?"

"Real girls are no good, after all."

"B-but" Ayumi started, trying to make sense out of it. "But you said you were wrong."

"Yes" Keima confirmed. "I thought I could handle it long enough. But I was wrong. It's not working out. And I can't keep doing this. It's my and only my mistake, so you shouldn't blame yourself."

Ayumi stayed quiet, mouth open. No. He couldn't mean...

"I spent a lot of time yesterday, trying to find the best way to go about this" by now Keima was looking almost as bad as she felt. "But I'm no good with things like that."

"No" she whispered, trying to fight the tears that were yet to come. "No, you can't."

"I'm sorry" Keima said and gritted his teeth. "But you and me... are over."

 **(* * *)**

 **So... well... yeah... Trouble in a paradise... except it wasn't even a paradise. :/  
**

 **Now, this chapter was practically done before end of the year, but there were two reasons why it's posted only now. First, this chapter is very tightly tied to the next one, so I didn't want to post it in case I would need to change some details.**

 **And second, this is not exactly a happy chapter, so I thought it didn't fit with the happy new year atmosphere. Sorry.**

 **If you've read between the lines then you probably know the next chapter is already done (and it's not a short one), but it will be some time before I post it. This is mainly because I need to work on the next part of the story, as it's practically non-existent. And I have some other things to take care of. The next half a month is not going to be easy.**

 **Anyway... the next chapter is an important one, so just be patient.**

 **As always, I ask you to drop me a review as they really keep my motivated!**

 **Just a side note: the next omake is not finished yet, so it won't appear for a while. Probably.  
**

 **See you next time!**


	13. Flag 33: Maelstrom

**Hello, everyone! I'm back!**

 **Sorry for the delay, especially since you all are probably wondering what's going to happen next. To make up for it here's a really long chapter. Over 8000 words, not counting Author's Notes (and over 9000 with AN. That's my longest KamiNomi chapter ever and it doesn't even have omake in it :P). That's almost two times bigger than my normal chapter.**

 **Unfortunately, the next chapter probably won't come out next week. There are a few reasons for that, but generally speaking I have some other things to do (things I have been postponing faaar too long) and I need to actually write the next chapter... and think of the plot after that. Sorry.  
**

 **Thank you very much for all your reviews for the last chapter! As usual the replies:**

 **Gonzalorp94:** concerning the reviews: I got it. And I hope this chapter here was worth the wait. **  
**

 **MrSmith:** maybe yes. Maybe no. We'll see. :)

 **ZelgadisGW:** glad you think that way. And Miyako is just a good way to mess with various characters. :)

 **Iutach:** thank you for your opinion. It's true that the situation is on the razor edge right now. Many things can happen. There are many routes our protagonists can follow. And they can't really choose the routes. Can't see all consequences of their decisions. Mistakes are possible. And even one bad step can destroy any chance for a happy ending... But what can happen and what will happen are two vastly different thing. In other words, this chapter might not answer all your questions, but it should answer some of them.

 **DPSS:** I'm not really sure what to say here. Just read the chapter. And I'm afraid kicking won't help things... much. :)

 **Hikigaya:** well, seems you're right. But what will come out of it, I wonder? :)

 **Anonimo:** thank you very much. As usual, I'm glad my plot twist was unexpected as planned. :) Does Keima know about "the world" thing? Who knows? :)

 **Okay, I think that's enough talking for now. Let's go onto the chapter. I hope you'll like it.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(* * *)**

There was obviously some reason why Chihiro found herself right here, right now, but that reason was lost now, completely forgotten as soon as the girl heard those words.

"You and me... are over."

In retrospect, the fact that she was able to hear it from such a distance was implausible, unless she had some hero superpowers like enhanced hearing and such. Thus, she thought that she had misheard something. Or that it wasn't Ayumi and Katsuragi that were standing there in front of the gym.

But it was them. There was no mistaking it. Chihiro leaned closer to the window. What should she do? Should she shout? Or should she go there and kill Katsuragi on the spot?

Yes, that was it. This was only the first floor. She was going to jump out, go there and kill that fu-

"Kosaka!" another voice interrupted her when she was ready to climb the windowsill. She turned around and suddenly remembered what she was doing at school at this time.

"What are you doing?" Kodama asked, his expression confused. "It's time for your extra credit for the last test."

Oh, c'mon. It was a fluke. The test was on the day of Ayumi's party, so she was a little unprepared. And her results were... acceptable. The only reason she was doing extra credit was because Nagase-sensei had asked Kodama to "raise the bar" and force Chihiro to study more.

But she had more important things right now.

"Yes, I know, sensei, but there's something I've got to do before that and-"

"No excuses" Kodama said, grabbing the girl by her hand.

Before she was dragged into the staff room Chihiro took one last glance outside and noticed that Keima was seemingly gone.

And Ayumi was crying.

(* * *)

She didn't know how long she stood there after Keima had left. She didn't actually remember him leaving, but he had to, as he was gone now. And she had to move at one point too, because she suddenly found herself sitting on a bench.

And then there was a flash.

"Ayumi... Don't cry, Ayumi" Mercury pleaded from one of the school windows in front of her.

Ayumi wanted to reply with obvious "I'm not crying", but she found out she couldn't. Then she sniffed. And only then did she realize that Mercury was right.

She was crying.

"Ayumi. Look at me."

The runner wanted to refuse, but there was something in the goddess' voice that compelled her to obey. Ayumi raised her head and looked at Mercury's reflection. It was a little... dim. The goddess' wings were smaller than usual as well. Not that it was surprising – Mercury was strengthened by Ayumi's love. It was normal for the goddess to get weaker after her host had been dumped moments ago.

On the contrary... Ayumi had expected Mercury to at least lose her wings and halo, if not outright disappear. Yet, she was still there.

"Your love is far from completion, but it's still strong and potent" the goddess spoke, as if she'd read Ayumi's mind, her face calm and mysterious, her voice as detached as usual. "You wouldn't be crying otherwise."

"What's good about it being strong when it'll never be complete now!" Ayumi literally cried out, trying to stop the tears from streaming down her face. "It's all over."

"It could be" Mercury admitted. "In such case, your love will lessen and lessen and then finally the orb won't be able to keep you in this world anymore" the goddess paused for a moment. "But... that's not the only possibility."

Ayumi didn't reply. She was still in shock. What other possibility? There was nothing left and she should just yell it to the stoic goddess' face. But she didn't.

"You can feel it, don't you?" Mercury stated, not asked, either guessing correctly or truly reading both Ayumi's mind and heart. "The journey through human hearts and emotions is a difficult one, even for me, the goddess, who had been traveling for so long. I'm still incapable of understanding everything" she once again paused. "But both of us know there's another path."

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean" Mercury replied. "Go to him."

"Are you serious?!" Ayumi asked angrily. "Didn't you hear what he said? Or did you sleep through it?"

"Yes, I did. And no, I did not" the goddess said calmly, with only a little bit of offense. "But let me ask: do you know _why_ Katsuragi did it?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Ayumi said with downcast eyes. "He doesn't care about real girls! He couldn't put up with this!"

"Is that so?" Mercury spoke with mild curiosity. "He doesn't care about you... yet he spends entire night thinking on how to break up with you so you'll feel the least pain. He doesn't care about you, yet he's pained because he has failed you."

"What part of him looked pained?" Ayumi shot back. "He was cool as a cucumber!"

"You sure? I'm looking cool as a cucumber as well, right now, but are you certain that I'm really calm?" that was obviously a rhetoric question. "Katsuragi is similar to me in that regard. You need to see past just his facial expressions. Into his heart" Mercury tilted her head to the side as if in surprise. "Or is that you're unable to see the true Katsuragi? I thought you of all people would be able to see him. So... are you going to let be fooled again by his poker face? Or are you going to... what's the term? Call his bet?"

Ayumi wanted to retort, but nothing came to mind.

"Well... I guess it's no use asking" the goddess closed her eyes in thought. "You're not the one to stop in the middle of a race. You're the type to jump over a hurdle and smash the goal."

Ayumi didn't respond immediately, thinking. What was she supposed to do now? What path could she take? All routes were cut off already and she was out of options. Was there anything she could use? Was there anything to question?

Wait, there was something.

"Reason" Ayumi mumbled out.

"Huh?"

"He broke up with me without stating a reason!" Ayumi explained, rubbing her eyes with her sleeve. "And I don't buy this 'I can't keep doing this' nonsense! A guy like him, someone who calls himself the God of Conquest, should be able to keep this for his entire life! And if he has a good reason then we'll just have to overcome it. Together."

"That's the Ayumi I know" Mercury smiled. "Well, I think you should get going if you want to catch Katsuragi in case he is about to leave the town or something."

Ayumi didn't have to be told twice.

(* * *)

Keima wasn't planning to leave the town. It would involve his family and that was far too dangerous. In more than one way. But he still needed to get away from Ayumi, at least for a few days. He had thought about a hospital admission. Some magic should make it possible. Unfortunately, he couldn't ask his devils guardians for help. Nora and Rimyuel would refuse, because both could... benefit from telling Ayumi he was faking it. And Haqua... well, she probably saw him talking to Ayumi, so there was a good chance she was going to be here any moment to beat him within an inch of his life.

And that was the plan. Haqua would find him out of her own volition and hurt him enough to justify hospital visit without Keima having to ask for her help. That way he won't be needing plan B.

And he would really like not to use plan B.

Come to think of it... shouldn't Haqua be here already? When he was (mostly) innocent she was always there to beat him, but now she was nowhere in sight? Damn you, real! Or maybe she figured out his plan?

Tsk...

Anyway... Haqua could find him anywhere, so maybe he _should_ go out of the house for a while – Ayumi should be still in shock, but he didn't want to risk her coming here.

At least it was already late afternoon and his mother went out shopping with Eri. That route was actually a big advantage – Eri wouldn't expose his situation with Ayumi. Her mother learning that he was absent from school would be bad, but still manageable.

Therefore, Keima went to his room, grabbed his backpack, packed a supply of batteries and went downstairs, ready to go.

Ten seconds. That was all he needed to leave his house and disappear into the streets of Maijima. Not much could happen giving such a time window. Moreover, there was more that two doorways he could use to leave the house. Any events that could thwart his plans were extremely unlikely.

But we all know the Keima's Law.

 _If there's a route in real life where things go wrong then Keima's bound to follow that route sooner or later. No exceptions._

Thus, it shouldn't be all that surprising that when Keima opened his front door he came face-to-face with Ayumi.

"Keima Katsuragi!" the runner shouted, surprising him. There was some indication she was crying and she was angry, but not nearly as much as he had expected.

"What are you doing, here?" he asked, taking a step back.

"We need to talk."

"We already did" he told her. "Get out!"

"Like hell, I will!" Ayumi replied. Her expression might've not be particularly angry, but it was still terrifying. "I'm not leaving. Not until you give me one proper reason for breaking up with me!"

"I told you that already!" he shot back. Good thing he had prepared some lines for plan C. "I can't go out with a real girl!"

"It's not that I enjoy kicking you" Ayumi told him, while Keima was rolling on the ground, nursing his shin. "But that's what you get for lying to me!"

"W-what do you mean?" he asked, stalling to think. And waiting for the pain to lessen.

"You were perfectly fine with going out with me before! I don't believe you didn't think it through when you asked me out! You knew you could do it" she paused for a moment, shaking her head and then continued with a gentler voice. "If you're just afraid of commitment... of falling in love with me-"

"Hold your horses!" it was his turn to shout back. "Me? In love with you? I'm God of Conquest with a will of iron! I admit, some of you reals can be charming. Almost cute but-"

"Is this why you were watching girls yesterday in school?" she interrupted him. "Because you noticed our... _my_ cuteness?"

"But your efforts are useless!" he continued as if she didn't speak. "I won't fall in love with you and enter your route until I decide so myself."

"In that case I'll just help you decide" she told him. "By the way, you still didn't give me a good reason to break up with me."

"There is a reason!"

"Then tell me!"

"The reason still holds without me telling you abou-" Keima stopped abruptly when Ayumi put her hands on his shoulders.

"Don't touch me!" he cried out, trying to get free.

"We're no longer together, so your 'no touching' rule no longer applies!" she told him with an evil smile. "Breaking up with me ended up bitting you in the butt. Who would've thought."

And then something happened.

Ayumi was an athlete, while Keima was, well... weak. He had some endurance and stamina, but no strength. And she managed to grab him. For him it was like being caught in a choking hold. No possible escape.

Yet, he somehow managed to wrest out of her grasp and then he jumped back as if burned.

"I-I have my right for private space" he shot back. "Don't touch me!"

Ayumi blinked. That was clearly an overkill. And his voice was laced with panic. Her anger and drive suddenly melted away.

"Keima?" she asked uncertain. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong!" it wasn't even a lie. He sounded as if he really believed that.

Ayumi furrowed her brow. It didn't make sense. Keima didn't like to touch people, but he handled it rather well when necessary.

"What happened?" Ayumi asked, genuinely worried. "What are you afraid of?"

"I'm not _afraid_!" he shot back, but it lacked his usual conviction. Keima was losing his cool. Thinking about it... this entire 'I'm breaking up with you' thing was actually poorly conceived. Yes, his original 'let's go out' plan was nowhere near perfect, but looked like a masterpiece compared to this. This was a short-term solution at best and it left no follow up. If Mercury hadn't intervened and Keima had managed to flee, then this would have lasted a few days longer. And Ayumi would be more angry or hurt. But the final outcome would still be the same – they would still be having this conversation and Ayumi would still question him. Thus, in a long term it was nothing but a waste of calories. Keima made a move that made no sense. And it was completely unlike him.

What was he worried about? As much as she wanted to just assume he was falling in love with her, she knew that it wasn't that. I mean, yeah... he was probably closer to falling for her than he realized, but it was something else that bothered him.

She stepped closer.

"Stay back!" he told her... and then backed himself into a corner. Literally. Now she was certain it was serious. And she needed to get to the bottom of this.

So she got closer to him.

"You know you can't run away from me" she told him, when she saw him look to the side. "Just tell me what's going on, so we can deal with it. I promise I won't get angry or laugh at you. Come on... look at me" she put her hand on his cheek, forcing him to face her.

Keima flinched a little when from the contact, but it wasn't as bad as she had expected. Even when she gently rubbed his cheek he blushed, but didn't immediately freak out. So it wasn't about touching, after all?

Ayumi got closer to him, making him squirm. She was at this point completely and utterly lost. She looked into his eyes, trying to establish eye contact, but Keima was avoiding it, looking elsewhere.

She was losing her patience. She continued to look at his face, her eyes narrowed... when she noticed something. She blinked once. Twice.

And then it finally clicked.

She froze, unable to comprehend, unable to accept that such a thing could happen. And then she felt something. It wasn't a single feeling, but she recognized it since it wasn't the first time Ayumi experienced it. Yes, this particular feeling had been appearing from time to time even before she entered high school.

Normally it wasn't a good feeling, but this time it was different. Yes, it was still weird and embarrassing and the thought to kick Keima in the stomach _did_ pass through her head. But on the other hand, this time she also felt like she had been praised. She was almost glad.

"Um... Keima" she started, a pink hue on her cheeks.

"Y-yes?"

"I never thought I will have to tell you this..." she knew she should stay serious, but she just couldn't stop herself from cracking a smile. "But my eyes are up here."

Keima raised his eyes to hers and blinked. He was looking really lost for a few moments and Ayumi was fairly certain he wasn't faking it. He frowned, seemingly going through the same phase of denial as she did. And just as she had done moments before, he seemed to fully comprehend her words because his eyes widened.

And then he somehow stepped backwards.

"Wh-wha-what?" the panic seemed to finally settle in as Keima tried to move even further back, but he couldn't – he was, quite literally, with his back against the wall.

"You heard what I said" Ayumi replied. She was getting light-headed as well.

"What you said made no sense!" Keima shot back and Ayumi had to hand it to him – he was facing her quite bravely, considering she stepped even closer.

"It made perfect sense" she told him.

"No it didn't! You made it sound as if... as if."

"It seems you have trouble spitting it out. Here, I'll help you" she offered and got so close to him that they were almost touching. Then she glanced up at him and saw him visibly gulp.

"You" she pressed a finger to his chest. "Were checking me out."

For a brief second he looked shocked, his mouth hanging open in a comical manner. And then he recovered.

"No" he told her simply.

"Yes" she responded with a smile.

"No."

"Yes" at this point she was bantering with him.

"No, I didn't!"

"Oh yes, you did" she all but purred.

"No, I did not!" he practically shouted, but immediately faltered when she leaned towards him, closing the distance between them. The distance which was already non-existent in the first place.

"Wha-what are you d-doing?" Keima mumbled out, panicked enough to start thrashing his arms wildly, achieving absolutely nothing.

"Don't worry, I'm not angry with you" she assured him in a gentle voice, while all but flinging her arms around his neck.

"Don't touch me!" he almost squeaked. Like a damsel in distress. And then his eyes widened, when he realized how little conviction was in his own voice.

"If you don't like it then you're free to push me away" she told him and then halted in place. Observing him. Waiting. Betting everything on what her heart was telling her.

Keima remained still as well, his eyes widening further when he comprehended the truth. He wasn't doing it. He didn't know why, but he wasn't doing it.

He wasn't pushing her away.

Ayumi used all her willpower to stifle a chuckle.

"So that's it?" she asked with obvious relief. "You broke up with me because of... teenage hormones acting up?"

"No!" he replied. "I mean yes, but I'm the God of Conquest! Such real things as hormones and temptation of the flesh have no effect on me!"

"Oh really? In that case you could just resist it as usual and do nothing" she noticed, happy she have managed to outsmart him. "You were just afraid of the truth. Afraid of the fact that you can control your hormones no more than you can control your hunger, thirst and the need to sleep and breathe" she told him. "You panicked, because you were afraid what would happen if you were to continue as always."

"I was just worried!" Keima rebutted weakly. "For such a thing to happen..."

Ayumi rolled her eyes.

"Oh, c'mon. You're seventeen. And a boy" she told him. "It's normal to have urges. Just admit it."

"I don't have _urges_!" he retorted. "I-it's just an aberration! A moment of weakness! And I definitely didn't _want_ for it to happen!"

"Sounds logical... except you didn't push me away" Ayumi noticed.

He was about to retort, but then she got even closer to him. Keima's eyes widened when he felt Ayumi's... body press flatly against his.

Well... not so flatly...

As if that wasn't enough Ayumi tightened her embrace and put one of her hands into his unkempt hair.

"This is nice..." she told him with her head in a crook of his neck, her hot breath brushing his nape.

Keima didn't reply, his mind in full-blown panic mode.

She was snuggling. She was actually snuggling into him and didn't even had the decency to stay still, her head, her hands, her entire body moving ever so slightly.

And she was loving every second of it.

Meanwhile Keima felt the possible routes disappear one by one. Him disliking Ayumi's... actions was one thing. But she was obviously enjoying it. And although he wouldn't admit it out loud, he wanted her to be happy. And he probably _could_ make her happy if he decided so. His 'I can't possible stay with you' argument was already gone. The only arguments that really remained were 'I don't love you' and 'your happiness could only happen at my expense'.

Except the second was was slowly beginning to crumble in front of him. His mind and body had already betrayed him. It was now only the matter of his conscience and conviction.

And his heart.

"I still can't believe you were worried about _that_ of all things" Ayumi spoke softly. Keima's attention was brought back to her and he noticed she was now actually gently rocking from side to side. It was hypnotic. Lulling. Almost soothing. "You made such a big deal out of it. That's completely unlike you."

"You've got it easy!" he shot back weakly, the rest of his mind trying to get his flushed face to settle. "You don't have a real girl in front of you doing... that!"

"Does it feel so bad?" she asked, but she already knew the answer. "And it's not like I have it _that_ easy, you know?" she backed a little, putting some space between them. "I never told you that, but" it was her turn to blush. "But I think you're pretty handsome. You can get me flustered just by being there. Except when you do creepy things. Even that bed hair can be cute... once in a while."

"The player's physical parameters are not important" Keima mumbled out, trying to introduce some gaming terms into this... _real_ conversation.

"They are, but not all that much" she replied. "After all, it's not the bed hair I love you for."

Keima tried very much to stop his face from going scarlet. But he failed.

And Ayumi giggled.

"Are you sure you're not in love with me?" she asked.

"D-don't be ridiculous!" he shouted back, but Ayumi got close to him again.

"I love you" she told him.

"I-idiot!" he sputtered back. "You just said that a moment ago!"

"I know, but I felt like saying it again" she grinned and embraced him again.

This time Keima took it much better, coughing a little and pretending it didn't affect him. It lasted for a couple of seconds and then Ayumi backed up again.

"I know girlfriends are not supposed to tell their boyfriends this when a situation like this happens" Ayumi looked him in the eye. "But I'm proud of you."

Keima didn't answer, he just continued to look at her, as if he was expecting her to get them out of this mess. Was she supposed to wear the pants in this relationship? Well... she didn't mind it that much. She doubted it would be like that anyway.

She coughed.

"Well" she started. "I know this is not easy for you" she now had trouble staying calm as well. "Sooo... I think you deserve a little reward."

Ayumi closed her eyes, so she couldn't tell for sure, but it seemed that this time their lips met halfway.

Once again she tried her best to stay in control of her emotions and not press his head to deepen the kiss. Instead, she started stroking and ruffling his already unkempt hair.

Everything was fine until she felt his right arm land on her waist and slowly creep up her side. Then his second arm suddenly found itself on her back and between her shoulder blades. He embraced her and drew her a little closer.

And then he started to kiss her back.

And that was when all of her inhibitions went out of the window.

She didn't know how long it lasted. For a moment she even forgot where they were. But she did recognize the need to breathe. So she pulled back.

Her lips were tingling and Ayumi couldn't tell if that meant the kiss was too long or too short. But she knew one thing.

It was good.

For the first time she could say that she was truly satisfied with a kiss. She smiled instinctively and shook her head to get rid of her giddiness. Once she was done composing herself she looked at Keima only to see that he was glaring at her. She had to use all of her willpower not to burst out laughing, because that glare right there was probably one of the greatest compliments he ever gave anyone, as his face was all red.

In other words, he was angry because he didn't like the fact that he liked the kiss. If that made sense at all.

Still, Keima didn't remove his hands from her back nor did he push her away. Likewise, Ayumi didn't move as well, except for going down to stand on her feet again. As good as the kiss was, she still needed to climb on her toes to be able to kiss him.

The only thing Ayumi could ask for at this point was to snuggle up to him again, but she decided not to push her luck anymore. So she backed up, putting some distance between them. Keima didn't resist.

"So" she started, trying to get her blush under control. "Does that mean you aren't dumping me?"

Keima looked to the side, a troubled look on his face. "If you're going to be too forceful then I might."

"And if I'm not too forceful?" she asked.

"Then... We're fine, I guess" he said, putting much effort to ignore her radiant smile.

"You won't regret it, I promise!" she told him.

He just rolled his eyes.

The moment was nothing short of perfect, even if more than a little awkward, when suddenly the door to the café opened with a thud. For some reason both of them reacted in tandem – she hid behind him and he stepped in front of her, as if they were about to be attacked by some wild beast. Keima didn't lose his cool, already thinking of some excuse to tell his mom and Eri, but he stopped dead in his tracks once he realized who just entered his house. It wasn't his mom. And it wasn't Eri.

It was Chihiro.

"Katsuragi!" the band leader roared at him, her face furious when she walked, no, stomped up to him.

"Chi-Chihiro?" was all Keima managed to say before the girl in question grabbed him by his shoulders and started to shake him. Violently.

"How dare you, you bastard! You pathetic excuse of a man!" she yelled, not even pretending she was worried about who else might hear her.

"Wh-wha-what did I do?" Keima stuttered out, barely conscious. This only served to further anger Chihiro.

"What did you do? You still ask, cockroach?" the girl told him. "How dare you do that to Ayumi?! She really liked you! Did you ask her out only to dump her now?"

"Y-you got it all wrong and-" he tried to defend himself.

"All the other broken hearts weren't enough for you, you scum?! I should've known you were up to no good and... and..." Chihiro slowed down and then completely stopped in mid word when she finally noticed Ayumi, who was standing behind Keima and observing this entire scene with a blank expression.

"Umm... Chihiro" the runner started.

"Yes?"

"Could you maybe... not kill my boyfriend?"

"Umm" the other girl was still for a moment, her brow furrowed, anger slowly dissipating and being replaced with embarrassment. And then she finally let Keima go.

"Are you crazy, you real woman!?" he sputtered out, barely avoiding falling on the floor.

Chihiro didn't answer, instead she kept looking back and forth between the two of them.

"Wait... I saw him dump you" Chihiro said, as if she was trying to convince herself.

"Y-you did?" Ayumi asked back, surprised.

"Yes... and he did it quite harshly, I might add..."

"Well... I know it must have looked pretty bad... It _was_ bad for a moment... But we are actually quite good" Ayumi responded while scratching her head.

"Still he dumped you..." Chihiro wasn't giving up.

"Well, it was really a misunderstanding... You know how he is unwilling to get in touch with reality, right?" Ayumi asked. Chihiro just nodded. "It's only logical that there are... perturbations whenever he gets more involved, you know?" Ayumi then heard, well, more like felt Mercury utter something between a chuckle and a snort in the back of her mind. Ayumi was certain the sleepy goddess will grill her later on.

"So you two are... okay?" Chihiro asked.

"Pretty okay. Actually, the two of us have never been better, right?" the last part was directed at Keima, who looked away with angry expression, but there was an undeniable blush on his cheeks.

"Wait a moment" Chihiro now approached Ayumi. "Are you sure that's the truth? Are you sure you're not being manipulated? You wouldn't lie to me right?"

"Yes, I'm pretty sure" the runner answered with a smile. "You don't have to worry _that_ much. He's my boyfriend, so it's my responsibility to keep him in check now. And I didn't forget how to kick."

Chihiro continued to look at Ayumi for a few more moments, her face actually much too close for the runner's liking. And then Chihiro finally seemed convinced, because she backed up and started to laugh nervously.

"Ahaha! It's my mistake then" she said, obviously trying to make it sound harmless.

"Hey, don't try to brush it off, you real woman!" Keima said.

"Did I interrupt your lovey-dovey time?" Chihiro asked, completely ignoring Keima's complaints. Ayumi nodded, face red in embarrassment.

"I see... I guess, I'll be going then... see you tomorrow!" the band leader said before heading for the exit.

"Hey! Wait!" Keima was the one yelling now. "What lovey-dovey time? Hey! Come back here, hey!"

But the door already closed, leaving Keima hanging in mid-sentence with a blank look on his face. He then heard something like a chuckle, but when he turned around Ayumi was looking away, acting all innocent.

And then somehow they returned to the awkward atmosphere from before, as if Chihiro was never here.

"So... where were we?" Ayumi asked, to break the silence.

"You were just promising me I won't regret this" Keima reminded her. "Immediately after which Chihiro barged in and tried to kill me!"

"Ahaha!" Ayumi scratched her head nervously.

"That's not funny!" he told her. "You already broke your promise!"

"Hardly" she replied, while getting closer to him again. "Chihiro was angry because you dumped me, not because you were going out with me, so what you really should regret is dumping me. My promise is doing fine."

Keima's eyebrow started to twitch and he turned away from her.

"Whatever" he said. "It's already in the past, so let's forget about it."

"Not yet!" Ayumi said, making him halt. "There's still one thing left."

"Like what?" Keima asked not turning around.

"You still dumped me there for a moment, you know?" Ayumi started walking towards Keima, making him cringe. "That's wasn't nice. Not at all. Sooo... Now you have to do what I tell you" the runner continued and moved past him.

"Umm, I have?" Keima responded, full of bad feelings.

"Yes" Ayumi told him and took a seat in of the café chairs.

He sighed. "Then what do I do?" she wasn't going to make him stop playing games for a week, was she?

"Make me coffee."

Just as he thought-wait, what?

"Excuse me?" he asked, genuinely surprised.

"Make. Me. Coffee" she repeated impatiently. "Which part of that you didn't understand?"

He looked at her blankly and she sighed.

"Remember the Mai High Festival, when you were the master of 2-B café?" he nodded. "I was pissed at you and made a point to not drink you coffee back then, so I never found out whether it was as good as Miyako and Mobuko were saying" she finished with a slight blush.

Initially Keima didn't react, as if he didn't hear her at all and then he walked away to the counter and started to prepare the coffee. A few minutes of silence later Ayumi could smell the brew. She wasn't a particular lover of coffee, but she had to admit – it smelled good.

A few moments later Keima was back with a tray, a napkin and two cups of coffee, which he placed on the table like a waiter, before sitting on the chair in front of Ayumi.

The girl in question reached for her cup and blew on it, before taking a sip. And then another. And another.

Originally she had thought that Mobuko and Miyako were exaggerating, mainly to get on Keima's good side, since he agreed to be the café master. Now she was certain – they were exaggerating.

But only a little.

"This is really good" Ayumi said. "Where did you learn to make coffee like this?"

"My family owns a café. Simple as that" he responded, already clicking through one of his games.

"Yeah, and your experience with games and general brilliance has nothing to do with it?"

"General brilliance?" he asked.

"You know what I mean."

Keima was silent for a few moments.

"There were a few games where coffee making was a part of the gameplay" he admitted. "But the base for this coffee is my mother's recipe."

"So, she did teach you how to make it?"

"Yes... she also tried to teach me how to make cakes, but I don't like sweet things..."

"Yes, I know... Still, I bet you know how to make a cake as well" Ayumi guessed and smiled when Keima glanced sideways. "So is this just like your mother's coffee?"

"Not exactly... I... enhanced it. Created a modified recipe."

"Is your coffee better than your mother's?"

"Probably" he admitted.

Ayumi took another sip.

"Does your mother know you can make coffee like this?"

Keima didn't reply. It didn't surprise her though.

After that there was a longer silence during which Ayumi enjoyed her coffee and Keima's presence. It almost felt like a date.

"It's ironic, you know?" Ayumi said out of a sudden.

"What is?" Keima asked.

"You're my first boyfriend."

"I know" he replied. "You told me about this at the stone turtle back then" was this just some trivia? "Well, I guess you have never expected you'll be going out with an otamega..."

"No, I don't mean that" Ayumi told him and paused before continuing. "Aren't you curious as to why I didn't have a boyfriend before?"

Keima arched an eyebrow and she took it as a sign for her to continue.

"You know me and Chihiro are childhood friends, right?" she started, but didn't wait for his confirmation. "I know that Chihiro can be really carefree and can laugh off many bad things that happen to her, but I always knew that she was fragile as well... of course I didn't know a spirit from Hell would possess her someday..."

Keima didn't say anything and made no indication he was even listening. At least not on the first sight. He was still playing his game, but Ayumi couldn't hear the buttons clicking, as if he was trying to keep quiet. She was also fairly certain his console screen was at such an angle that Keima could watch her. So he was listening to her and looking at her in his own way.

"Did you know that I had longer hair in the past?"

At this Keima raised his head. "You had?" he asked in mild surprise. "Ten years ago it was as short as it is now."

"Yeah" Ayumi said and then took another sip of her coffee. "I think I was twelve back then and I just began to get interested in... you know... boys. I mean, not very much interested, but still I thought I should let my hair grow."

"And? You decided against it? Why?"

"Because the boys started to ask me out. There weren't many of them and they were idiots most of the time, but still I was fairly popular. In the beginning it was even kind of nice..."

"What that has to do with hair or things being ironic?" he asked.

Ayumi sighed.

"It's just that the guys were using Chihiro to get close to me" she said. "Sometimes even insulted her. Maybe that's why she went after so many guys later on. To prove she could be popular on her own and not just be my... sidekick."

The PFP was now resting on the table and Keima was listening quite intently.

"I still don't see the connection" he remarked.

"It's not very complicated" Ayumi told him while looking outside the window. "Let's just say that while Chihiro got more interested in guys, I started to view them as hindrance. So I kept my hair short, similar to Chihiro and focused on running. Of course, the boys still had interest in me, but I just ignored it and most of them gave up quickly enough. Things seemed well until high school."

She wasn't looking at him, but could feel his gaze. Was it how it felt to have Keima's attention? I mean it happened before, but only when he was conquering her... Maybe he was conquering her now? She was surprised when she realized she wouldn't mind it that much... as long as it was permanent...

"What happened in high school?" he asked.

Ayumi sighed again. "New class. New boys to deal with. Of course they didn't approach me in public like you" she gave him half-appreciative passing glance. "Most of the time they tried to 'confess' through their friends. And the second problem was that my... breasts started to grow" she could feel her cheeks heat up. "And I didn't like it at all. It hindered my running, it attracted more guys... and I noticed they started to look at them and it pissed me off... I think that's where my kicking habit really started."

"Physical parameters aren't all that important" Keima reminded her. "But they can be a pain sometimes."

"And thus" Ayumi continued. "I made a rule not to fall in love, because I concluded that all guys were like that... and then you came along and somehow managed to make me, a slight misandrist, fall in love with you, an open misogynist."

"And that what's ironic?"

"Yes, but not only that..." she looked away. "I mean you didn't really care that much about how I looked. And then... things happened. You know, the goddesses and all... and what's ironic is the end result."

"Which is?"

She sighed.

"The result is that you're the first guy in a long time that I don't mind checking me out... sometimes... And the irony is that you're the first guy in a long time that apparently doesn't _want_ to check me out" she paused for a moment before locking eyes with him. "Or at least I thought you didn't."

Keima immediately returned to his game, this time trying to push the buttons as loud as possible. She smiled at that. Did he really thought he was fooling her like that? She was tempted to tease him some more, but she decided to stop here for now. They just managed to overcome a huge crisis and their future, their... route was looking promising enough. There was no reason to rush things.

She was just about to tell him that she was going home when the door to the **caf** é opened once more. Ayumi snapped her head, already imagining that Chihiro spread the news and a gaggle of girls would assault Keima, but she quickly realized that she was wrong, because the one that entered the house was none other than Eri.

Followed by Keima's mother.

"Keima, we're home!" Mari Katsuragi announced happily as she stepped over the threshold. Then she stopped when she noticed that Keima was indeed here instead of his room and he was sitting with some, well... girl.

"Uh... good evening, Katsuragi-san" Ayumi stood up, trying to remain calm, but she immediately started to get nervous. It was her first time officially meeting Keima's mother, after all.

A short silence ensued, during which Mari continued to look at Ayumi, confused. The only one looking more clueless was Eri, who gazed from Ayumi to Keima in obvious surprise.

"Good evening" Mari replied finally, now glancing between Ayumi and her son, looking a bit suspicious.

"Is that your friend, Keima?" she asked, but before Ayumi or Keima could answer, Eri did it for them.

"It's Ayumi, our classmate!" Eri said. "And she's the guitarist in our band!"

"Aah... the runner?" Mari asked, surprising Ayumi. She knew about her? And second thing that surprised her was the note of disappointment in the older woman's voice. Like she expected Ayumi to be something more than Keima's friend. Ayumi was tempted to tell Mari the truth, but it would be a bad move. She wanted Keima to be with her because he wanted, not because his mother was nagging him about it. Thus...

"That's right" Ayumi replied, trying for a gentle smile. It won't hurt to score some points, right? She was just going to excuse herself before Mari invited (or forced) her to stay for dinner, but once again she was stopped, this time by Keima.

"Mom" the gamer said as he stood up. Then he stepped forward, so he was standing next to Ayumi.

"This is Ayumi Takahara" Keima pointed at the runner and then continued with a straight face. "My girlfriend."

Ayumi remained still for a moment, then she took a glance around, trying to figure out who said such a thing, but the voice sounded male and Keima was the only male she could see. Then she thought she had heard him wrong, so she turned to look at Eri and Mari, but the looks on their faces made Ayumi think she actually heard him right.

"Could you say that one more time?" Mari asked after a longer moment. She was smiling, but that smile was scary enough to make a shiver travel down Ayumi's spine.

"This is Ayumi Takahara" Keima repeated without any hint of worry or impatience. "My girlfriend."

Mari continued to smile when she glanced at Ayumi.

"Aah... that's right. Keima's my... my" ugh why couldn't she say it?

"Your?"

"My bo-boyfriend" Ayumi mumbled out. She was looking at her feet, fully aware that her face was all red.

"Ahaha" Mari laughed with her hand close to her mouth. "That's a good one!"

"It's not a joke, okaa-san!" Eri told her, sounding somewhat offended. "Actually, Ayumi-san and nii-sama had been going out for some time now!"

Mari looked at her daughter in shock. Then she turned back to her son. Keima rolled his eyes and then reached out with his hand. Ayumi didn't resist, but her hand still twitched when Keima clasped it with his own. His hand twitched as well. And both of them were blushing.

Mari didn't budge at all, except for her eyes, which kept traveling back and forth between both teens and their joined hands.

"Before you faint" Keima started. "Ayumi needs to get going, so I'll walk her home."

He then let go of her hand and started walking out of the **caf** é.

"Umm... Goodbye then, Katsuragi-san" Ayumi bowed once before following Keima. She caught up with him quickly, one thought on her mind.

Did that really happen just now?

A soft thud coming from inside the **caf** é followed with "Okaa-san! Hang in there!" told her that it did. But she needed to be sure.

"Did you really just introduce me as your girlfriend?" she asked.

"Yes" he replied, already clicking through one of his games. "Do you mind?"

"It's not that" she responded, looking to the side. "I'm just curious why did you do it..."

"What do you mean?"

"Aren't you worried about your mother's nagging?" she asked.

"You expected me to lie?"

"Don't get it wrong, but it's not like you've never lied before" she reminded him.

"Good point" he admitted. "Actually, I told my mother the truth precisely to stop her from nagging me."

"Stop her?"

Keima nodded. "Like this maybe she will no longer go with those 'when will you get a girlfriend?' kind of sermons."

"Right, she will pester you with 'when will you go on date with her again?' kind of sermons now" Ayumi told him. "If that's such a good idea than why didn't you tell her sooner?" she asked before narrowing her eyes. "Is it because you saw no point, because you were planning to dump me anyway?"

"No... I was planning for you to fall in love with some decent guy and dump me first."

"It's good to know that you trust me and care for me that much" she told him, her voice thick with sarcasm.

Keima tore his eyes from his console and glanced at her

"I do care for you" he said, sounding actually hurt. "Otherwise I would let you go out with that background character back then. I cared enough to wish for you to find someone special instead of wasting your time and reputation on him. Or me."

Ayumi noticed he said pretty much the same thing as Mercury. But one thing caught her attention.

"You _are_ special to me" she said without a hint of hesitation.

"And I don't get it" he admitted, his eyes still focused on her. "Your conquest is over. Both of them. You know the truth. About runaway spirits. About the goddesses. Yet, your affection level remains and increases. And I can't figure out _why_. I know the real is illogical, but I thought you would prefer a prince charming that appears on a white steed."

"You did exactly that" she reminded him.

"I was _pretending_ to be prince charming to release Mercury. You know that!"

"Wrong" she said, making him blink. "You appeared on a white steed, because your pride of a gamer told you to make a perfect ending. To not hold back. And you admitted that to me. That's was the real you!"

"And you seriously like the real me?" he asked.

"Yes" was her reply, but he wasn't giving up.

"Why?"

"You don't need a reason to like someone" she reminded him. "You should know that by now."

Keima didn't reply and returned to his game, making Ayumi smile at her small victory. And then she got an idea.

She grabbed his arm, startling him.

"Hey, what's that for?" he asked.

"If you're going to walk me home, do it right!" she told him.

Keima always had issues with people touching him, but this time it didn't seem to bother him that much. If they were holding hands then he wouldn't be able to play his PFP, but right now she was just hanging on his arm. So there wasn't really a reason to refuse.

They continued to walk arm in arm like this in silence. Keima glanced at Ayumi once or twice and noticed that she looked quite content. Well, if the serene expression and closed eyes were not enough proof, then the fact that she was gradually leaning deeper and deeper into him certainly was.

And she seemed almost disappointed, when they finally reached her home.

"I guess, I see you tomorrow then" he told her before turning to leave.

"Keima" she said.

"What?" he looked over his shoulder only for her to kiss him on the cheek.

"Bye" she told him with a flushed face and then turned around and broke into a run, disappearing in her house seconds later.

Keima continued to stare at her door for a few more seconds before he mentally shrugged and started to head home.

The real certainly had strange routes, he thought. Anyway, what should he do now? Ah, the answer was obvious as soon as his eyes landed on his PFP.

He should save.

 **(* * *)**

 **Ta-dah!**

 **So, Ayumi managed to... talk sense into Keima and somehow they're back together! What doesn't kill them makes them stronger, huh?**

 **And even Mari knows about them now! That's should be interesting :)  
**

 **With this we have more or less closed the second "arc".**

 **I hope you didn't expect all that... Or did you?**

 **To be honest most of the second half of this chapter was waiting to be posted since forever. I wrote it when the story was just starting. The drawback of that is that I had to write the "before" part in such a way that it will fit with the rest...**

 **...and I have partially failed. I tried and tried, but I'm still not completely satisfied with the flow of things. Thus, I should apologize to everyone who thinks the events in this chapter make little sense. Sorry if you feel it was too much on the "physical" side and not enough on the "psychical" and "emotional" side, but I really wanted for it to happen like that. Sorry.  
**

 **On the other hand, we got a glimpse on Ayumi's past. Of course it's not exactly canon, but is not "not canon" either. Well, in canon Ayumi seems cheerful, but she doesn't really have interactions with boys beside Keima. And it's confirmed Keima was her first love. So I expanded on that. I hope that I've managed to convey what I wanted: the Ayumi's outlook on life, it's influence on her relation with Chihiro and Keima _noticing_ the real. In a way.**

 **This was an important chapter. The most important in this (sub)story so far. So, I would REALLY want to know your opinion about this. Thus, don't hesitate to review! Tell me what you think! I really need that now!  
**

 **Next chapter will be probably much more calm, but I'm not certain yet. Guess, all of us (me included) we'll have to just wait and see.**

 **And after-chapter reply to Iutach: you should remember Chihiro's words about Ayumi. "Once she starts to like something... she can't hate it that easily". She's not the one to run away because of a single hurdle. And as for her feeling safe... well... I think it's more about Keima feeling safe with Ayumi then the other way around... but who knows...  
**

 **Now I need to go to finally get some things done. And post some reviews for some stories.**

 **You don't forget to review as well! :)**

 **See you next time!**


	14. Flag 34: Grinding training

**Hello, I'm back!**

 **I'm sorry for the long absence (** ** **considering the size of the last chapter,** was it really that long?), but I had a lot of work lately...**

 **...unfortunately the same goes for the next few days, so I probably won't be able to post next chapter this week.**

 **I'm in a hurry, so there are no replies to reviews this time. I'll try to do it next time. Still, thank you for your support.**

 **If you were worried about me abandoning this story then rest assured – I don't have the slightest intention to do so. It's just that the updates might be a little slower than what I originally planned.**

 **Speaking of updates, I'm tempted to post info about delays and progress on my profile, but I need to know whether my readers need such a thing. So if you think it would be useful to you then let me know in reviews, PMs and so on.**

 **I'm really sorry for any mistakes and typos in this chapter, as I'm posting it in a hurry. Also sorry for the crappy chapter title.**

 **Okay, onto the chapter!**

 **P.S. To Sir-sleeps-a-lot and Ryuumaru Kara among others: in case you're wondering – I'm waiting for the updates on your KamiNomi stories. :)**

 **(* * *)**

"Are you really sure we should be doing this?"

"Yes, I think it's time for us to take the relationship to the next step. Besides, we've talked about it already."

"I know... but that might be a little too quick."

"Hey... doing it today was your idea!"

"Yes, but..."

"But what?"

"You know this will probably hurt, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's your first time doing that. First times are usually painful."

Silence.

"Are we still talking about the same thing?" Keima asked finally.

"Umm" Ayumi hesitated. "We're talking about re-introducing you to my parents? And trying to stop my dad from beating you up?"

"Good" the boy replied. "Because for a moment I thought you meant something else."

"Like what?"

"Nevermind that..."

They walked in silence for a moment.

"By the way, why are we meeting my parents again?" Ayumi asked.

"To clear up things."

"And why would you want to do that?" Ayumi didn't yield, although she kinda expected what his answer would be.

"Let's just say it's my way of apologizing to you for... what I did yesterday" Keima answered, before glancing at the girl walking next to him. "I've told you that before as well. Are we doing some kind of exposition here?"

"Ugh... Aren't we getting a little too close to the fourth wall?"

"Then let's change the topic" Keima decided. "I don't want to get any closer to the _real_ world than we are now."

"It's a little too late for that" Ayumi sighed. "Anyway... shouldn't you tell me the plan?"

"Of course not."

"Why?" she asked. "You don't trust me?"

"I don't trust your acting skills. You're not a good liar. And I need you to act natural."

"Are you planning to lie to my parents _again_?"

"I didn't exactly lie to them the last time and I'm not going to lie this time too. It's just that... your parents shouldn't know everything about our circumstances."

"So, no bringing out Mercury?"

"Definitely not!" Keima replied before stopping. "Okay, here we are..."

And indeed, they were standing in front of the door of the Takahara household. This was it.

"Good luck" Ayumi said. "You'll need this. We'll both need this."

"Hmpf! I don't rely on luck" Keima answered with determination shining in his eyes. "Let's do this."

(* * *)

"Hm? A friend...?" Ayumi's father asked with a pretty normal and uninterested voice. If it wasn't for Ayumi being his daughter and Keima being, well, Keima they might've been fooled that he didn't remember seeing Keima before.

But they weren't fooled.

"He looks similar to your last friend" Mrs. Takahara noticed, probably not even realizing what she was insinuating.

"Not just similar" Ayumi replied, saying what she would've normally said in such situation. "He's the same person."

"The same person?" Ayumi's father's eyebrow twitched. "Are you meaning to tell me you're here for the same thing as last time?"

"No" it was Keima who said this. His voice was gentle, polite even. Definitely not his usual neutral ignorance bordering on cold, but not smarmy or smooth either. "Ayumi told me she already explained the last misunderstanding to you."

"Ooh?" A small part of Mr. Takahara's anger was originally targeted at Ayumi, but now all of it was focused on Keima. Ayumi guessed it was Keima's aim anyway. "So you're admitting it was your fault?"

"It's not-" Ayumi started, but Keima silenced her with a calmly outstretched hand.

"It may be true that it's not all my fault, but it was certainly my poor judgment that allowed the situation to escalate."

"So now you've come to apologize, counting on me being merciful?" Mr. Takahara asked.

"Not at all. It was partly my fault, so it's only natural for me to receive punishment. So... feel free to beat me up" Keima replied calmly.

"What?!" Ayumi and her father asked at the same time.

Ayumi's mother furrowed her brow.

"That back then was an overreaction" she started. "It was only a misunderstanding, so beating is..."

"That may be true" Keima interrupted gently. "But Ayumi was dragged into this, so she should be left with little to none punishment, yet she took the full brunt of it. I intend to redress that."

"So you want to get punished, so Ayumi will feel better?"

"I doubt Ayumi will feel better because I'm punished-"

"Damn right I won't" Ayumi interrupted.

"But if the punishment _will_ make her better, then I'll accept it. I'm taking full responsibility" Keima continued. "So I'm kindly asking for you to cease any restrictions you've placed on Ayumi because of that... incident."

"Why?" Ayumi's father asked.

"Just as I said, because it's not Ayumi's fault and-"

"Not that" Mr. Takahara interrupted him. "I mean why are _you_ doing this?"

"Because, I made a mistake and I need to rectify that" Keima answered. "It's the right thing to do."

Ayumi made a sound resembling a chuckle, making her parents look at her strangely, but she only shook here head.

Keima came a long way, she marveled.

"Well... it was really an overreaction back then" Ayumi's father started, before glancing at his daughter. "Did Ayumi... force you to come here?"

"No" Keima replied truthfully. "Though she said she had been in trouble since then. And not just said."

"Sounds like our Ayumi" Mr. Takahara said with a smile, looking at the blushing runner with obvious pride. "I guess that's it then. Ayumi, your curfew is over."

"That's it?" Keima blinked. "Nothing more?"

"Well, I bet Ayumi already punished you enough, so there's no point in doing anything more."

Chink.

All three of them turned their heads to see Mrs. Takahara put a tray with four cups of tea on the table after she had returned from the kitchen. None of them noticed her leaving before.

"What are you doing?" her husband questioned.

"It would be rude to have him leave like that" Mrs. Takahara replied before turning to both teenagers. "So... how did you two meet?"

"Pardon me for my rudeness, I should introduce myself. My name is Keima Katsuragi. I'm Ayumi's classmate."

"Classmate, huh?" Mrs. Takahara said with a soft smile and then glanced at her daughter. "It's good to see Ayumi has some _other_ friends as well."

Ayumi cringed a little at that and Keima understood. He was probably the only boy she ever brought home outside of classmates on birthdays during elementary school.

"Oh. I've already assumed you and my daughter were friends. My bad." Mrs. Takahara waved her hand. "So... are you?"

"Yes" Keima replied already knowing where this was going. "We have been friends for some time now."

"And nothing more?" Mrs. Takahara asked, proving his suspicions.

"As I said, we were just friends back then" Keima repeated. "But not anymore."

Mr. Takahara almost choked on his tea.

"What?!" he asked, clearly surprised. "What did you do to our Ayumi?!"

"Calm down, dear!" Mrs. Takahara grabbed her husband's arm, preventing him from moving.

"Well... I did steal Ayumi's first time" Keima said. "I mean the first kiss, of course. Or rather..." he quickly added, before glancing at the runner. "She stole mine."

"I knew it" Mrs. Takahara said with a smile. "I knew it for a long time."

"Yes-wait, what?" both Ayumi and her father asked at the same time. "What do you mean you knew it for a long time?"

"I knew something was going on with Ayumi since spring" Mrs. Takahara said. "First, it was the little things and I took it simply as our girl growing... but back then in November... I knew something happened. It seemed to lessen after that, but you can't fool your own mother Ayumi. And then those last few weeks. It seems you've stolen more than just a kiss... More like a heart, maybe?"

"Mom!" Ayumi shouted with her face completely red.

"What? It's the truth" her mother said calmly. "Or am I wrong?"

"No, you're right" Keima replied. "The two of us are dating right now."

"Dating?" Ayumi's father asked in anger. Or panic. "And what do you mean since the spring?!"

"Ayumi, sweety, could you massage your father's back? It would certainly help him relax" Mrs. Takahara said. "Oh, and you can explain everything while you're at it" she then turned to the gamer. "Keima, was it? Would you be so kind as to help me in the kitchen for a moment?"

Keima was certain kitchen help was the least thing on Mrs. Takahara's mind right now. But he couldn't refuse.

(* * *)

"How about cookies? Or ice cream?" Ayumi's mother asked, as she rummaged in the fridge.

"I don't like sweet things" Keima responded.

"Really? That's strange, considering my daughter can be pretty sweet."

"Maybe, but the effect is a little spoiled when she kicks you."

"Maybe you should stop doing things that make her kick you?"

He couldn't really say anything to that.

"I can tell you've become quite close with Ayumi. And I mean it. She's really in love with you. And has been for a long time."

"You're perceptive."

"Not really. She's my daughter. I can tell it because I've known her for much longer than you have" Mrs. Takahara turned back to him, her smile gone, replaced with a look you would find on a business person.

Or prosecutor.

"So you seduced my daughter" it wasn't a question.

"Truth be told, she did a lot of seducing herself. Probably without even meaning it. Actually, we were both surprised at its... effectiveness."

"Can't say I'm surprised" Mrs. Takahara said. Keima couldn't tell whether she was angry, suspicious, impressed or amused. Girlfriend's mothers weren't a very common sight in galges, so he didn't have enough samples from the virtual.

Not to mention the samples from the real...

"Let's leave the petty things aside" so it was a business person's gaze after all. "How serious are you about Ayumi?"

Now, that was a question he could interpret in many ways.

"I'm not playing with her, if that's what you mean."

Mrs. Takahara didn't confirm or deny.

"I must say it haven't been always this good between Ayumi and me. Actually, there was time when it was really bad... But it's different now. I can't guarantee things between me and Ayumi will work out. We are two very different people, after all."

"You said you were Ayumi's classmate" Mrs. Takahara changed the topic. "There's not many boys in Ayumi's school. Yet, I'm not sure I ever heard her talk about you."

Come to think of it, splitting him with Ayumi was a very good strategy – now they could talk with each one of them and compare their stories. A great way to make sure their daughter was in the right hands.

The problem was there was parts of the story no regular humans should hear about. Too many have heard of it already.

"Really?" Keima asked surprised. "She's never mentioned a creepy, cold, loner gamer otamegane?"

"Now that you mention it... Ayumi did talk about someone like that" Mrs. Takahara nodded her head as if remembering some distant memory. "She said you're a really weird boy and no-one seems to know what you're thinking. Then again..." she smirked. "She's never mentioned you being handsome" Keima blinked at that. He never considered himself handsome. These parameters were becoming weirder and weirder. "So you managed to make Ayumi fall in love with you. Figures."

"You're not surprised?" he asked.

"No. I knew Ayumi wouldn't fall in love with a regular guy. And that brings us to the crux of the matter. Ayumi is a good girl. A little uncomfortable with boys, I knew it for a long time now, but she seems okay with you. So you get my approval."

"But if I hurt Ayumi then I incur your undying wrath?"

"Not really..." Mrs. Takahara smiled. "That's my husband's job."

"Understood" Keima said calmly.

"Good. Now let's get back. I'm sure my husband and daughter are done talking right now."

(* * *)

Keima didn't know whether Ayumi's massage was able to help her father relax or not, but Mr. Takahara wasn't as approving of him as his wife. That much was clear. Thus, Keima wasn't exactly sure how he ended up here – in the middle of Ayumi's room with a plate of snacks and with no idea what he should do.

At least none of the snacks were sweet.

"Yes, yes, I know" Ayumi's voice reached him from the corridor. "What...? No! Yes, I understand."

Ayumi entered the room, closed the door and leaned against it. It was almost how he envisioned Kanon trying to get away from paparazzi.

"Not that I didn't believe in you" Ayumi said as she walked past him and sat on her bed. "But that went better than I expected" she then looked up him in surprise. "What are you doing?" she asked. "Sit down already."

Keima didn't reply, weighing his options. Where he should sit to not set too many flags? The only chair in the room was near the desk, but sitting there would be rude. Sitting on the floor would be pretty doable, weren't it for the fact that Ayumi was seated on the bed already. And she was looking at him, not understanding his hesitation.

So he sat down on the other edge of the bed, placing the plate in between them.

"If I didn't know you, I would have thought you're actually shy" Ayumi said, while involuntarily grabbing one of the snacks. It was probably natural, considering all the calories she was burning daily.

"If I didn't know you, I would have thought you aren't" he replied with little to no hostility whatsoever.

"Shut up!" Ayumi kicked him in the shin. With little to no force whatsoever.

A moment of silence

"So, what do we do now?" Keima asked.

"W-why are you asking me?" Ayumi replied with a question of her own.

"You're the one knowledgeable about the real and we're in your room."

"Hey, it was my mom, who made me take you upstairs!"

"You mean I should leave?"

"No!" Ayumi half-shouted, before she blushed. "Sorry about that... I-I just don't know what I'm supposed to do."

"Can't say I'm any different."

Another short silence.

"Well... I guess we can start by figuring out what you want to do now" Ayumi suggested.

"Me?" Keima asked.

"Yes, you" Ayumi confirmed. "I mean, how do you imagine our... relationship from now on?"

"I don't follow" he remarked. "What's there to imagine?"

"Oh, c'mon" Ayumi rolled her eyes. "Yesterday was a progress, but I don't believe you're going to start being all lovey-dovey. It's not like you'll suddenly want to hug, kiss and go on dates with me instead of playing games."

"So that's what you meant" Keima remarked with a neutral expression. "Come to think of it, for everyone else besides Chihiro it seems like nothing's changed."

"Well, not exactly for everyone else" Ayumi mumbled out, before telling Keima what happened at school today.

(* * *)

It was lunch break and Keima had just suggested coming to Ayumi's house after school. The runner freaked out at first, misunderstanding his intention. Even after Keima explained his reason, Ayumi was still unsure about the whole thing. She wondered into the halls, half-dazed and half-worried, but Keima's idea seemed more and more enticing by the second.

She was so deep in her thoughts that she wasn't watching when she was going and in result bumped into someone.

"Ouch! I'm sorry, I wasn't-" Ayumi trailed off and then froze when she realized who she had just collided with.

It was Nikaidō-sensei.

Ayumi blanched, her brain making her remember all she knew about her teacher, including her strict personality and the methods she used on students (mostly Keima).

The fact that Nikaidō's face was serious wasn't helping.

"Sensei!" Ayumi started. "I'm really sorry! I didn't mean it and-" she stopped when she felt Nikaidō place her hand on her shoulder.

Ayumi's panic meter went up a notch, but then it went down when she realized that Nikaidō's touch was gentle. And the look on her face was not just serious. It was solemn. Ayumi couldn't figure out what the heck was happening, but then Nikaidō spoke.

"Ayumi" the teacher started, making the runner immediately focus and start listening. Nikaidō-sensei using her first name? Well... they were kind of closer than regular teacher and student and there was no-one else in the corridor but still...

"I heard about you and onii-chan" Nikaidō continued. "I mean, I had heard about it before, but I knew it was just a ruse back then. But now it's different. Now it's serious. I wanted to congratulate you."

"Co-congratulate me?" Ayumi repeated, somehow managing to speak despite her jaw almost hitting the floor.

"Yes. It seems the day when a real girl managed to reach to onii-chan's heart has finally come. I'm proud of you, Ayumi" Nikaidō then turned to leave. "I need to get going now... Take good care of onii-chan, okay?"

The girl in question didn't reply, too shocked to react.

(* * *)

"So Dokurō knows" Keima summed up her story. "Not particularly surprising."

"Wait, you knew about this?" Ayumi asked.

"Not really... but Dokurō always seems to know things. Don't ask me how. Probably one of our devil trio has something to do with this. Or more than one of them."

At this Ayumi tossed a nervous glance at the window, as if expecting to see someone eavesdropping on them from outside.

"Anyway, how about we just try to do what you want to do?" Keima suggested.

"I'm not sure you'll be able to enjoy that."

"It doesn't have to be something I enjoy. It's fine as I don't particularly dislike it."

"It doesn't work like that!" Ayumi shook her head in frustration. "There's no meaning to do anything if you don't like it!"

Keima remained silent, giving her some time to think. Of course, she could try some physical contact and it probably would work in the end, but she didn't want to force anything this time around. And she knew the two of them could work out now. Actually, she was certain Keima could do very well if only he were to seriously put his mind into it. He just needed motivation. She just needed to give it to him. She needed something... Why was it so difficult, damn it!? Wasn't there anything that could help Keima get used to them being together?

Wait. There was something.

"Okay. How about this. How about you try teaching me?" Ayumi stood up and approached her desk, passing the impromptu showcase she was using to keep some of her running trophies. The custom shirt he had bought her was hanging in mint condition next to it.

"Teaching you?" Keima repeated. "The term exams are almost half a year away. And you shouldn't rely on me too much when it comes to final exams. If you want to go into university you need to do it with your own skills!"

"I'm not talking about that!" Ayumi said back, rummaging around her desk. "I'm talking about things school can't teach me."

"Like what?" he asked, but Ayumi didn't reply. Instead she walked back to the bed, holding something pink in her hand.

"Wait, you can't mean..."

"Why not?" she sat back on the bed and turned on her PFP. "Otome games are definitely not my thing, but the other ones were not so bad. And one was actually nice."

"You want me to teach you about gaming?" Keima confirmed and Ayumi nodded. "And why would you need me to do that?"

"Because I suck at it" Ayumi admitted, her cheeks coloring a little. "I mean when I start it is always fun. Then it gets challenging. And then it gets _frustrating_."

"Fine. I'll help you" Keima repositioned his glasses, an aura of seriousness forming around him. "Which game is it?"

She started the game, but Keima couldn't see it that well from his spot. Ayumi noticed it and put the plate out of the way before moving closer to Keima, making him flinch slightly.

"Relax" she told him. "I'm not going to do anything... unless you want it."

They were now really close to each other and Ayumi become aware that it was a hot day and she hadn't showered since morning. Keima probably didn't particularly care, but she did.

Thank god there was no track and field practice today...

Keima was now able to see that the game Ayumi showed him was some typical RPG with a fantasy setting and Keima recognized it as a sequel of some other game he played. He bought the prequel because it fitted his definition of a galge and he received the sequel as a gift. He had no interest in the sequel, but he wasn't going to just throw it away, so he kept it.

Ayumi loaded her game and Keima could see her character, named Yumi, which was a female warrior with unimpressive physique, but impressive battle axe. It wasn't really surprising that Ayumi had a penchant for characters dealing direct damage and smashing their enemies. He made a mental note to show her some racing game. Or a vehicular combat game. A demolition derby could help Ayumi vent her anger, stopping her from kicking people. Mostly him.

Or maybe a fighting game...

"This is where the problem starts" Ayumi told him, trying to fight some monsters. "It gets really difficult and I'm sure I'm still in the beginning! Is it really that difficult or am I just doing it wrong?"

"Would you mind starting a new game?" he asked.

"Um... okay" Ayumi went back to the main menu, created a new character, essentially identical to her current one. Then she started the intro and didn't skip it, making Keima think she was _really_ interested in that particular game. He would've never guessed Ayumi would get so into it without him. Well, it wasn't exactly without him – she probably played it to understand him. That's why she tried that one otome game (and Keima only gave it to her because he was eager to get rid of it). Anyway, Ayumi seemed to be genuinely interested in casual gaming.

That or her acting skills went up considerably.

Still, he was a god of the gaming world. It would be troublesome if he didn't take this seriously. From what he saw Ayumi's in-game character had low points in intelligence and charisma and her dexterity was barely above average. But overall it wasn't a bad character and Ayumi didn't choose a harder difficulty either.

But after a few minutes of gameplay he could already guess what Ayumi's problem was.

"Why are you going for that quest?" he asked.

"Huh?" Ayumi turned to him. "I'm just following the story. Isn't that's what I'm supposed to do?"

"But you don't have to do it right away" Keima told her. "In games like this the main quests are not the most difficult, but they cannot be done by just trying to do them as soon as they pop up. There's usually no time limit, so you don't have to hurry. In order to be able to do that quest your character needs to be stronger."

"Oh" Ayumi whispered as if to herself. "So how do I do that?"

"You need to level up and get better items, so you need to either do other quests or do more grinding."

"Grinding?" Ayumi asked completely clueless.

"That's how you call doing repetitive tasks. Like killing monsters outside of town over and over again, until you gain enough experience. Games are usually designed in such a way that some grinding once a while is acceptable by players and allows to reach high enough level to progress. Theoretically, it may be possible to reach the maximum level if you spend enough time grinding, but you'll probably bore yourself to death before that happens."

"Oookay" Ayumi said, obviously proving she wasn't aware of such game mechanics.

"Moreover" Keima continued, going further into his lecture mode. "Beating monsters over and over can be used to collect items. Especially since monster rarely drop more powerful items."

"So, I need to spend more time before trying to go for that quest?"

"Yes" Keima confirmed. "But I see you also have a trouble with your character in general."

"What do you mean?"

"You treat your character too straightforward. Just because you're a warrior and not a spell-caster doesn't mean you don't have some skills and abilities to help you. You should use them."

"Ugh, it's not as easy as I thought..."

"Easy games are boring" Keima remarked. "Although some casual games are designed, so the player will play them because they are rewarding right away. But most games, like this one, reward player for their progress and progress is achieved with effort, time and skill."

"Still, remembering about using different attacks is troublesome" Ayumi complained.

"In that case you should consider using passives."

"Passives? What's that?"

"They are skill that are applied automatically or are always active, so you don't have to remember about them."

"Sounds good" Ayumi said, already immersed in the grinding. "Anything else?"

"You seem to only use items for your equipment, like weapons or armors" Keima noticed. "You should also buy and use potions, so you can heal or strengthen yourself in battle."

"And here I thought being a warrior would be simple" Ayumi said with a frown.

"If you don't like that type of game I can find you something different. I'm sure I have something in my collection that you'll enjoy."

"Great... so how about I go visit you tomorrow?" it was obviously an excuse for her coming to his house. It would be a half-date at most. And both of them should be fine with this.

Two birds with one stone, huh?

"Fine" he replied.

"Then we have an appointment!" Ayumi said with a smile. Then she turned back to the game "Now, how about we continue?"

This was going to turn into a serious game tutoring, Keima thought. He briefly wondered if he could do that as a job... Five minutes later, however, he realized tutoring Ayumi had some peculiar difficulties.

"Can you turn the PFP in my direction a little?" he asked.

"Why? Can't you see? I thought you know this game in and out" she asked back.

"My specialty is galges and I've never really played this game before."

"Alright" Ayumi tried to sit, so both of them will be able to see the screen clearly, but it either ended up with her having difficulty controlling the game or Keima having to stretch his head. The only good thing that came out of it was their shoulders and even legs brushing together a lot.

Not that it helped her focus any, but she didn't care.

Wasn't there any better way to do this? Wait... there was.

"In situations like this you should let enemies crowd around you for a bit and then use area-of-effect skill to hit all of them at once and..." he stopped when he noticed her looking at him. Contemplating him. Or contemplating some idea, her face becoming an interesting shade of red. "Ayumi?"

"Don't freak out" she told him softly and then she stood up.

"What are you up to?" he asked, his Keima's sense tingling.

His question was answered a second later when Ayumi sat down.

On his lap.

"What are you doing?!" he half-shrieked as soon as he comprehended what happened.

"Calm down" Ayumi told him, although it seemed as if she was talking to herself as well.

"Why did you do that anyway?"

"So, we can both see the game" she told him and then turned a bit, so she was leaning against Keima, her back against his chest.

"Aren't you ashamed to do this?" he asked in light shock.

"Asks the guy who slept on my lap."

"That was 10 years ago and I didn't remember that."

"It was half a year ago and I very much remember that" Ayumi told him, turning to look at him. The motion... aggravated him.

"Don't move!" he ordered, trying to hang onto the remnants of his sanity.

"Okay" Ayumi said, trying to remain still. "This should work out. Let's just not... move around too much."

"Agreed" Keima replied. From his voice Ayumi could tell he was not faring too well. Truth be told she wasn't either.

But a minute or two later the situation calmed down and Keima resumed tutoring her. And it wasn't really that uncomfortable. Actually, it was pretty comfortable. And effective, as Keima could actually easily point to the screen and buttons, so she was doing much better.

"I told you to stay still!" Keima hissed, much too close to her ear. She probably shouldn't tell him that his breath almost made her shudder.

"I'm sorry" she replied. "But it's not that easy. You're moving too!"

"Tsk" Keima reached out with one hand and placed it on her stomach, holding her in place. Ayumi was thankful he was behind her, so he couldn't see that her face was aflame.

Well... he could probably still see the steam rising from her head.

They stayed like that for ten minutes or so. At one point Keima stopped giving Ayumi instructions and just watched her play and shifted his attention from the game to the girl in front of him.

Ayumi wasn't exactly light, but considering her athletic build and his physical flimsiness he was surprised he could endure having her sit on her lap for so long. The problem was that he didn't know what to do next.

He wasn't sure whether Ayumi did it deliberately or not (knowing her strategic mind it was probably the latter), but it was obvious it was a couple thing. A normal boy would use this opportunity to whisper mushy things to her ear, sniff her hair or at least have her lean against him more. But he wasn't normal boy. And he couldn't figure out what he really wanted to do in this kind of situation.

He couldn't even figure out what _she_ wanted him to do right now.

His musings were interrupted when he heard Mrs. Takahara's voice from outside the room.

"Ayumi?"

The girl in question was so immersed in her game and lulled by Keima's presence that she overreacted. Fearing her mother might walk in on them and misinterpret the situation she tried to stand up.

But she forgot that Keima was still holding her.

"Waaah!"

"Hey, what are you-"

"My leg!"

"Wait! Omph!"

Thud.

"Is everything alright, Ayumi?" her mother asked worriedly.

Full two seconds of silence.

"Ayumi?" Mrs. Takahara was moments from opening the door when Ayumi's voice reached her.

"I'm fine. What is it?"

"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Please tell Keima-kun that he can eat with us if he wants."

"Okay..."

Mrs. Takahara chuckled a little. It looks like her little girl is finally growing up and for that she was glad. She turned around and headed for the stairs.

Now she just to had to make her husband approve of this. Well, it shouldn't be a problem.

(* * *)

Somehow Ayumi was able to hear her mother's footsteps fade away despite the sound of her gulping. She was sitting on Keima's lap on the edge of the bed just seconds ago.

No matter how she thought about it it shouldn't be possible for them to end up like this, but she couldn't deny the obvious fact.

And the fact was that she was sprawled on her bed and Keima was hovering over her. This was almost exactly the same way it had been back then during Mai High festival... except this time they were a couple and there were no interruptions. No goddesses, no devils and no Chihiro. Even her mother chose not to walk in on them.

The funny thing was that she was startled and all, but Keima was even more so. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights. If he was intending to move back and end this embarrassing event then he wasn't doing so. He was probably afraid to make things any worse.

But if he was so timid then why was he the one on the top and she was on the bottom?

"Umm... what now?" she asked. "Are you going to hide in my bed this time around?"

"No" he replied.

"Then could you" she blushed. "get off me?"

"Do you want me to?"

"Of course I-wait, what?" she asked, the color of her face looking nice on the backdrop of her bedclothes. "Did you seriously just say that?"

"It would be a shame to waste such an opportunity for an event" he said, sounding as if he himself didn't believe what he was saying.

"W-what kind of event?" she stuttered out.

"That kind of event" and with that he kissed her.

And this time he had the upper hand and exploited it, maintaining control the whole time.

Not that she minded.

If she had any complaints then it was the smirk and the proud look on his face.

"W-what is that stupid look for?" she asked moments from throwing him off her in embarrassment.

"Is that how you thank me?" he asked and Ayumi inwardly cringed. It wasn't like it was a bad thing, but his change in attitude was definitely too sudden for her liking.

"Thank you?" she repeated. "Don't tell me you didn't enjoy that!"

"For your information I have much more experience with kissing then you have."

"D-doesn't mean you're better at it then I am!"

"Aren't I?" he asked, his smile widening.

Ayumi couldn't reply, because her body glowed for a moment and immediately after that the God of Conquest found himself on top of the goddess of travel.

"I see you're going along pretty" Mercury said in her distant voice. "That's good."

Keima blinked once, but before he could react Mercury effortlessly rose to a sitting position, her face inches from his.

"Aahh!" Keima sprung back, falling out of the bed and on the floor.

Before he could compose himself the sleepy goddess was on top of him, her lazy gaze fixed on him.

"You wanted to be the one on top, right, Ayumi?" Mercury asked, before flashing again and switching back to Ayumi. The runner remained still for a moment.

And then grinned.

"Oi, oi!" Keima shout out, trying to break free, but Ayumi grabbed his hands and straddling him, immobilizing him. "What are you doing?"

"Paying you back" she got closer. "Stop struggling."

"Get off!"

"So, my kissing technique is inferior to yours, huh?" she asked, ignoring his complaining and his thrashing limbs. "Then I guess I need some _practice_."

"A kiss once every few days is enough!" Keima told her.

"I think you got it wrong. It's the other way around" she corrected him.

She was really close to him now.

"Ayumi, dinner is ready!" her mother's voice interrupted her, allowing Keima to break free. Darn. She wasn't able to get her revenge.

Guess she would have to settle on embarrassing him during dinner.

 **(* * *)**

 **So, there you have it. I'm not sure it's what I wanted it to be, but it should be fine. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **And for the record – over half of this was written a few hours prior to posting and the only part that was ready long ago was the part with Nikaidō. I actually had trouble putting that part in here so it would make sense.  
**

 **The problematic thing is that I have virtually no words ready after that – I'll need to write subsequent chapters from scratches. I'm actually figuring out the plot on the spot right now (except the few parts I have planned already).**

 **The pokemake should appear next time. Probably.**

 **Don't forget to review!**

 **That's it. See you next time!**


	15. Flag 35: Games and questions

**Hello everyone! I'm here with the next chapter of AyumiNomi!  
**

 **Sorry for the delay, I don't really have any excuse. But it's another longer chapter if that's any consolation.**

 **As usually I thank you for all the views and reviews. As promised, here are the overdue replies:**

 **Gonazlorp94:** Thank you for both reviews. The slice of life part is not what I was really intending to do or rather we don't have time to do it. Those parts just happen...

 **Hikigaya:** Thank you. I sometimes get this feelings I'm putting too many references from the manga. Ayumi's parents including. But I wouldn't have it any other way.

 **The sender and the traveller:** Well, I would probably make it longer, but I've written enough words already. And I really like the part with Mari too.

 **Sir sleeps-a-lot:** Thank you very much. The frequency of updates lowered somewhat though. I hope that's only temporarily. And yes, Chihiro's over Keima in this story... Actually, that creates additional problems. I'll have to figure this out.

 **Skullcandyklive:** As for the previous review: Yes, that makes sense. Well, gathering of girls would've happened if the situation wasn't resolved, but Mercury slapping Keima? I can't really see her doing that. And even if she wanted, she would just leave it to Ayumi and go back to sleep. :) I have spend a lot on this chapter. It was half-prepared a long time ago, but I made many improvements over time, to glue things together. I'm glad it worked out for you. As for the second review: Ekhem... you think so? I wouldn't really mind it turned into manga, but it would be difficult, a book and a comic have different pacing. The fragment with Nikaidō... it was really something I've written long ago and tried to squeeze it here... It may not have any significance whatsoever. But who knows. And as for the sneak peek in the Ayumi's original world. Honestly: I haven't thought about it before. Even more honestly: it wouldn't really fit with the plot I have in mind, so I'm afraid I can't do this. :/ Great idea though.

 **Shawn Raven:** It's difficult to reply in a few words, but thank you. Your reviews are always welcome. :) I'm not certain that these two last chapters are what you expected after Flag 33, but I sure hope so.

 **Iutach:** As for your previous review: I'm glad that both the humor and seriousness of that chapter were received as I wanted them to when I was writing them. As for your latest review: I can agree with the male/female language thing in Japanese – it would be a lot harder if it was in Japanese. Maybe even impossible. But, frankly, I didn't even think about it when I was writing that part.

 **ZelgadisGW:** Agreed. Except the part with the longer drama. I think this fic is long enough already...

 **Aeonaxx:** Yes, my previous fic is a prequel. And more than technically. :) Thank you very much for your review. I hope you'll continue to read my stories, even on the characters you're not a fan of. :)

 **Mark:** You're welcome!

 **Whew! That was a lot of replies...**

 **Anyway... I don't really have any important announcements this time, maybe except the obvious fact that the story has 15 chapters already, so we're slowly heading towards the ending. I think.**

 **Enough talk. Enjoy the chapter!  
**

 **(* * *)**

Ayumi's dinner plan completely failed. Her father have been obviously seeking for any opportunity to expose Keima's non-existent evil plan, but the boy in question gave him nothing, balancing between polite and Keima-ish.

Her mother wasn't of any help either, even though Ayumi felt her smiles had more to them than what met the eye. She was probably doing the same thing her father was – sending Keima "you better behave" kind of signals – but in much more subtle way.

And somewhere along the way of trying to appease her father and bring up something embarrassing about Keima that wouldn't at the same time embarrass her and reveal too much paranormal things Ayumi lost her drive.

The short goodbye kiss she pulled him into before he left her house had to suffice.

(* * *)

Next day was Sunday and Ayumi arrived at Café Grandpa after noon, hoping Keima was at least awake. She didn't want to meet Mari Katsuragi too soon, so she walked up to the main door instead of the Café entrance.

She had expected for either Keima or Eri to answer the door. What she hadn't expected was a brown-haired man bearing a striking resemblance to Keima answering it.

"Good day" the man started. "How can I help you?"

"Umm..." Ayumi stumbled over her words. "I came here to see Keima."

The man blinked once, looking positively lost.

"Who's that, dad?" another voice sounded and directly after that Eri's broom appeared in the door frame followed quickly by the girl in question. "Aah! It's Ayumi-san!"

Ayumi couldn't reply, because Eri pounced her without hesitation.

"Who is she, Eri-chan?" the man, apparently Keima's father asked, seemingly not one bit surprised at Eri's childish antics.

"She's the girl mom was talking about yesterday" another voice was heard as Keima appeared. "The one she believes was just her imagination."

Mr. Katsuragi looked at his son as if he didn't believe that himself.

"Come in, before my mom gets here" Keima told Ayumi. "As soon as Eri lets go of you, of course."

The female twin let go of Ayumi with a quick "sorry" and the runner entered the house with a quiet "pardon me for intruding", trying to ignore Keima's dad, who was now watching Ayumi, as if expecting her to vanish into thin air any moment now.

(* * *)

"I'll say this right away, so you won't try" Keima started as they walked upstairs. "Don't even think about leaving my house and not meeting my mother. We'll just have to deal with her later."

"That didn't sound reassuring" Ayumi noticed.

"Because it wasn't" Keima opened the door to his room and let Ayumi in. "I'll be back in a moment" he told her before closing the door.

Ayumi walked up to Keima's bed and nervously sat down before looking around. It was her first time in his room really. First time around, when Keima was sick before the Mai-High festival, he had been using Eri's room. And the second time was when she had brought Keima the orb, but back then she didn't even have the time to observe her surroundings.

Not to mention she had pretty much destroyed his door back then.

So now was her first official visit to Keima's little kingdom. As expected the room was hidden in half-darkness. Ayumi stood up and approached the window, pulling the curtains aside and allowing the sunlight to enter the room. She then started to wander around.

The impressive gaming equipment aside, Keima's room seemed, as surprising as it was, more or less normal. There was a desk, some shelves and even several posters. Ayumi felt her eyebrow twitch a little when she realized that all the posters portrayed game heroines. One was depicting Yokkyun, but the other had cute, charming and actually _attractive_ girls on them. Ayumi snorted and walked up to the gaming chair that Keima called his throne.

She might not support his way of life, but she couldn't deny that he was really skilled at what he was doing. She now knew much more about him thanks to the memories, but she still couldn't really understand him. Ayumi touched his gaming chair and slid her finger through the surprisingly soft texture. She tilted her head as she got an idea. She looked around, making sure that the door was still closed and there was no-one else around, before sitting on the throne of the God of Conquest.

Well, it was certainly comfortable, suitable for long gaming sessions. She looked ahead, seeing that his six monitors were well-placed, further proving that he could do things really well when he tried. She leaned back into the chair. It could actually be quite nice for taking naps. And it did feel a bit throne-like.

She smiled when she realized that she was the only girl to sit here. No, she was probably the only human besides Keima to ever sit here. Scratch that! No other human, no devil and no goddess ever-

"Ayumi."

The runner panicked and tumbled backwards, the gaming chair no. 3 leaning back and...

Thud.

"Oww..." she mumbled out from her position on the floor.

"Are you alright?" Keima asked, offering her his hand. His other hand was holding a tray of sorts.

Ayumi grabbed his hand, but stood mostly on her own, fully aware they would both end on the floor if she were to pull seriously. And she had enough of embarrassing situations as of late, honestly.

"Sorry about the chair" she told him, hoping he didn't like it enough to consider this an attempted murder.

"Don't worry" Keima said, but she couldn't decipher his voice. "I didn't expect this chair to still be usable by the time I entered high school. Here, hold this."

Keima handed her a tray of delicious-looking and positively sweet pastries. If Ayumi didn't know any better she would have thought that Keima's mom wanted to bribe her into dating her son.

Not that she blamed her.

Keima returned the chair to its original position, looking good as before, then took the tray back from Ayumi and walked to his bed.

"Did you bring your PFP?" he asked.

Ayumi nodded her head, retrieving the said device from the bag she brought with her.

"Good. Now, you should try this one first."

"Umm... I hope you plan on something more today than the two of us playing video games."

"I'm tutoring you and _you_ 're playing video games."

"How about some... _other_ stuff?"

"We had enough of other stuff yesterday."

"So it's only playing games today?" she tried to confirm. "That's all?"

"Yes, that's all" Keima repeated. "Or at least that how I see it. But my mother might have other ideas. As I said" he paused for a moment. "Anyway, I think you should like this one..."

(* * *)

On one hand Ayumi shouldn't really be surprised to see Keima distance himself from her a bit. On the other hand, she had the right to feel just a little bit angry about it. Well... she tried to be angry, but the fighting game Keima showed her proved pretty... therapeutic.

"Whoa!" Ayumi exclaimed at the brutal finishing move she somehow managed to execute. "That was a little too graphic, you know?"

"You say that, but you don't really think that."

Her face reddened at that. "H-how do you know that?"

"Simple. First, I know this game."

"Is that why you're sitting in front of me this time?" she asked, not hiding her disappointment. He nodded. "Anyway, why would you know this game? It looks nothing like a galge. It doesn't even have that many female characters. Why did you even buy it?"

"I didn't. I've got it as a gift."

"You weren't so knowledgeable about that RPG yesterday, yet you know a lot about this one. How come?" she noticed.

Keima looked away. "That's because I've researched this game yesterday."

Ayumi blinked at that. "You played this game?" he nodded. "For me?" Another nod.

"A-anyway" she said, trying to stay calm. "That's still doesn't explain how you knew I'd like this" she eyed him. "Admit it – you just guessed."

"Of course not!" he told her with narrowed eyes. "I knew you'd like it because I know _you_ and this seem-"

"Whoa, whoa! Hold on a minute!" she interrupted him. "What do you mean by 'I know you'?"

"I meant exactly what I said" he told her with a concealed smirk, but a smirk nonetheless.

"Well, then you're wrong" she responded. "I'm not one of your game heroines that you can see through with one glance!"

"For your information, most game heroines take more than one glance" Keima rebutted firmly. "And with your straightforward way of thinking, I can see through you just fine."

"Is that so?" Ayumi's eyebrow twitched. "Well then... did you know me well enough to figure out I was going to do _that_?"

Before Keima could ask what "that" meant Ayumi lunged at him, pinning him to the floor. Keima panicked at first, believing she was going for some hugging and kissing stuff, but he was proven wrong.

Neither hugging nor kissing felt this uncomfortable.

"Oww! That hurts!" he complained and Ayumi almost bought it.

"No, it doesn't" she told him, keeping him immobilized. "So, did you know me well enough to foresee this? What does your galge knowledge has to say about this?"

"I'm having trouble classifying this event" Keima said back with no sign of giving up. "It fits somewhere between a mad scientist, a side character and a yandere route."

"No, it doesn't!" she half-yelled. "Take it back! Waah!" the last part was the sound of her losing her balance when Keima exploited her lack of focus to get free. Ayumi was quick to retaliate, but Keima was now prepared. They struggled for a few moments, but her advantage in strength was negated by Keima's knowledge of his surroundings and her movements.

"Mercury! Help me!" Ayumi pleaded, but her calls remained unanswered. "Oh, c'mon, I know you're not asleep!" the only response was a faint snicker in the back of her head.

One moment later Keima managed to put Ayumi in a hold, seemingly brought straight out of Kusunoki's memories. The position was a little suggestive, this being the only reason he remembered how to do this, but overall it got the job done. The only problem was that Keima did it tolerably at best. And even if he did it right, it wouldn't hold Ayumi down completely.

"Yield!" he demanded, knowing he wouldn't be able to hold her forever. And knowing what she would do to him once she's free.

"Never!" she barked back, thrashing wildly. "You just wait! That calls for some kicking and-"

Snap.

Both of them blinked in confusion. And the turned their heads, only to see Eri standing in the doorway with a phone in her hand.

"W-what are you doing here?" Keima asked, releasing Ayumi, who immediately was back on her feet.

"Taking pictures, what else?" Eri asked, as if Keima asked a really dumb question.

"That was pretty sly of you, Eri" Ayumi complimented the girl, believing that was the only reason Eri took the photo. "Now delete it."

"Why?" Eri asked with that cute innocent face of hers. "It will make a nice addition to the album nii-sama made for you."

"No, it won't!" Keima said, standing next to Ayumi, practically matching her expression.

"Aww!" Eri pouted. "And you didn't object when I was taking other pictures."

Two pairs of eyes blinked.

"What _other_ pictures?" both teen asked in panic.

"The pictures I took when nii-sama was tutoring you a moment ago" the fire-truck lover explained. "You didn't notice?"

Keima and Ayumi started to emit an aura of embarrassment and dread, which then slowly turned into anger.

"Is that so?" Ayumi asked in a sweet voice. "How about you show us those pictures then?"

"Yes" Keima said, his hands making gestures as if he was dying to grab something and rip it to shreds. "Come here and show us those pictures."

"Umm... I'd rather not" Eri said, backing away, while sweating. "Oh... I hear okaa-san calling me, I've gotta go!" and then she broke into a run.

"Get back here!" Ayumi and Keima yelled and then headed for the door, reaching them at the same time and colliding with each other, before falling onto the floor comically.

(* * *)

"Hello! Earth to Ayumi! Are you there?"

"Huh?" Ayumi raised her head and looked at Chihiro who was sitting opposite of her.

"Our orders are here" the band leader noticed, pointing to the plates and bowls arrayed in front of them. Well, most of it – chicken teriyaki, katsudon and miso soup – was for Ayumi. And those weren't small servings. "I can't wait to see you actually eat all of it."

"That won't be a problem" Ayumi said, while grabbing her chopsticks. "I'm famished!"

"You wouldn't be, if you hadn't been running like that during track and field practice."

"Ids nod mhy vaud! Igh hab do sduby-"

"Okay, okay. Swallow first. Then talk."

Ayumi did as she was told then repeated. "I said it's not my fault. I have to study a lot, so I skipped last practice and I had to train a lot harder today."

"You could always skip our band practice..." Chihiro suggested.

Ayumi shook her head. "Then I would be dragging the band down. Besides, I'm better at running than I'm at playing guitar. It's would be harder for me if I skipped band practice."

"I don't want to be a bad influence, but maybe you should study less" Chihiro said between bites. "I don't really understand why you're so serious about it, anyway. Term exams are still far away."

Ayumi sighed. "I know... but it's not that simple. I'm not a genius, but my academic performance for the last few years..." she shook her head. "I know I can do better. But to do that I need to make up for the lost time."

"You know, I was kinda expecting you to have Katsuragi tutor you all day long" Chihiro grinned slyly.

"For some subjects, yeah" Ayumi replied, ignoring or completely missing Chihiro's innuendo. "But only for those that I want get over with and forget about. But if I want to go into university and _survive_ in there then I have to get there with my own skills."

"And where is 'there'? Have you even thought about a major?"

Ayumi nodded, her mouth full of food. Chihiro waited for full ten seconds.

"Sooo? What is it?"

"Marketing, human resources, management, food science..." Ayumi said as soon as she swallowed. "I was also considering sport coaching, but I have to stop kicking people first and... what?" she asked, seeing Chihiro's surprised face.

"You're not going to do _all_ of those, right?"

"No" Ayumi put the empty miso soup bowl aside. "They're just my considerations. I haven't decided yet. Most of those things require roughly the same subjects anyway..."

"And here I thought you would just go into national track and field team or something."

"Maybe I could run for a living, but I need education as well."

"What for? Just start your own business. I can already see it. Ayumi Takahara Co. – logistics and delivery" Chihiro put her hands in front of her as if shaping an invisible signboard. "You wouldn't even need a car. You would just run from one prefecture to another."

"Bhabhabha... bery vunny" Ayumi told her with her mouth full.

"Ooh... I forgot one teensy-weensy detail" Chihiro said with a snicker. "It's not Ayumi Takahara Co. It's Ayumi Katsuragi Co."

In Chihiro's mind Ayumi was supposed to spill her food. Not start choking.

"Easy! Easy!"

"Could you _not_ marry me off yet?" Ayumi spat out when she could breathe again.

"Says the girl who was all 'marry me' back then" Chihiro smirked. "Besides, you daydream about him all the time."

"No, I don't!"

"Yeah, right" Chihiro rolled her eyes. "You were totally daydreaming about him when you were waiting for food" she took a bite. "And smiling."

"I was not."

"Yes, you were."

"I was not!"

"Just tell me about it and I'll stop pestering you" Chihiro smiled and resumed her eating.

Ayumi looked at her best friend for a moment and then sighed.

"I was remembering my first dinner at Keima's house."

Chihiro blinked. "You mean the one where all his family was present?"

Ayumi nodded.

"The one where Eri said you two were almost like sisters-in-law already and both Keima and his father half-choked to death?"

"The very one."

"The one after which you could ask for free cake samples from his mom whenever you wanted?"

"No... after that day I could ask for anything in the café. Cake samples were just something Keima's mom was _adamant_ I should have" Ayumi clarified. "And his mother can cook that's for sure."

"Well... I'm sure it was a memorable evening" Chihiro started. "But I thought that happened a week after your birthday or so..."

"It did. What about it?"

"Wasn't your birthday... like four months ago?"

Ayumi sighed. Chihiro was right. It was September now and the first semester had resumed after the summer break. Unfortunately, during the break Ayumi had less free time to spend with Keima. And Keima tried to use every minute without Nagase-sensei to play his games in peace.

"You're doing it again" Chihiro told her.

"Doing what?"

"Looking into space with that small smile... but it's more gloomy this time" Chihiro furrowed her brow. "Is something wrong between you and Katsuragi again?"

Ayumi shook her head.

"So what is it?"

Ayumi put the last empty plate aside and considered her words for a moment before speaking. "Remember how it was before? When Keima was avoiding me after I got first place in that prefectural meet?" Chihiro nodded. "That time Keima didn't like me. It was no good, but at least I knew he didn't like me."

"Go on..." Chihiro said after a moment.

"In the future... I believe there'll come a time when Keima will truly like me. I'm sure it will. And then I will know he likes me."

"That's nice" Chihiro said. "What's the problem then?"

Ayumi sighed. "The problem is I can't figure what Keima is thinking about all of this right now! I know it's better than it was before, but I don't know how far we are!"

Chihiro snorted. "You're sounding like you expected him to swoon and fawn over you" she said. "You know he'll never do things with you if you don't initiate it."

"I don't know" Ayumi told her. "Sure, he rarely shows much emotion or smiles. And he never calls or mails me just to ask how I am or something..."

"Who would've guessed" Chihiro mumbled out.

"But that doesn't mean he doesn't try" Ayumi continued. "He listens to me. Yes, he answers with his poker face, but that shows he cares instead of ignoring me. You know we went to a park a few times."

"And he played games on the see-saw?" Chihiro asked.

"Only once. And we spent one evening at the stone turtles. It was pretty romantic..."

"...up to the point when both of you ended up in the water" Chihiro interjected. "I know that one."

"Wh-what?" Ayumi asked aghast. "How?"

"Eri told me" the band leader responded. "Next time try to go shopping with him."

"I did!"

"I don't mean shopping for games."

"I don't mean games! I mean clothes."

Chihiro blinked. "You and Katsuragi?" she asked. "Shopping for clothes?"

Ayumi nodded.

"Why haven't I heard _anything_ about it?"

"It was nothing major. Just a date. You know, eating some taiyaki, Keima buying a game. The two of us going into an arcade shop-"

"You know that's not how normal dates are supposed to go."

"-And then I saw these clothes on the display in this store and Keima saw my look, so he said we should walk in."

"How did it go?" Chihiro asked.

"For me? It was good" Ayumi said. "But Keima was bored out of his mind... he could be faking it though."

"You know he doesn't care about your clothes, right?"

"I wouldn't be so sure about it..."

"Huh?"

"When I asked him about the clothes he said both sets looked good on me."

"My point exactly" Chihiro commented.

"But when I pressured him more he got up, started to babble about heroines and clothes and then he chose something for me and told me to try it. I ended up buying it. And" Ayumi looked to the side, a small blush adorning her face. "And I haven't told you this and Keima tries to be discreet about it... but I think he likes to look at me... especially in the clothes he chose himself."

"Next thing you're going to tell me he checks you out!" Chihiro laughed.

"Sometimes..."

Chihiro was quiet for a full ten seconds.

"Katsuragi?" she asked. Ayumi nodded. "Checking you out?" another nod.

"I told you... it's not like we have problems" Ayumi said. "And I'm pretty certain Keima wants to make me _happy_. But I don't know how happy he is. How much of this is what _he_ actually _wants_."

"Have you tried to, I don't know, ask him about it?"

"That's a last resort. You know how he is..."

"Have you tried to ask Eri?"

"Yes... she's almost 100% sure Keima's in love with me... but knowing her it's far too optimistic."

"Have you tried that Haqua girl?"

"It's not like I can get a hold of her without telling Keima..."

"What about Katsuragi's mom?"

"You want me to ask her how her son feels about me?" Ayumi clarified. "Not a chance. Any other ideas?"

Chihiro coughed, looked around and leaned closer, as if she was a secret spy about to deliver a message.

"How about a quick test?"

"What do you mean?"

"Just answer my questions. How often you go on dates?"

Ayumi thought about it for a moment. "Depends what constitutes a date... once or twice a week, I guess."

"Does he ever compliments you?"

"Like a normal guy would? No. But it's Keima. Oh, wait! He did compliment me on my bentō."

"You made him a bentō?" Chihiro asked, incredulous.

"Yes?" Ayumi said back, uncertain. "He even let me feed him."

"You fed Katsuragi a homemade lunch on school grounds and I don't know anything about it?"

"Next question, please" Ayumi bluntly ignored the previous comment.

Chihiro was silent for a moment.

"How often do you guys hug? Hold hands?"

"Ugh... not often... I think Keima's kinda afraid of it... which could be a good thing."

"How often do you kiss?"

"Are you asking those questions to help me or to get every possible gossip material out of me?"

"I'm trying to assess how far your relationship have gone" Chihiro said seriously and then smiled. "But also... yeah."

Ayumi groaned.

"So?"

"Well... we kiss sometimes..." the runner started.

"But you initiate it every time and he seems to be wary of it" the band leader finished.

"Well, not every time... but yes."

Chihiro leaned back with her arms crossed over her chest. "With any normal guy I would say it's a pretty dysfunctional relationship... but since it's Katsuragi I think you're actually doing good. Slow, but good."

"I know. And it's not like I'm complaining" Ayumi responded. "I just want to know how he really feels about us..."

"You want my advice? Here's my advice: just ask him. He'll either not answer or answer you bluntly. But whether you ask him or not is your choice. Just don't ask Yui."

Ayumi groaned again. "I don't need to ask her. It's enough to watch her act."

"Huh?"

"It seems my relationship with Keima is going well enough that Yui actually feels _threatened_."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What do you mean threatened?" Chihiro asked. "Keima is your boyfriend! Besides, I haven't seen Yui try anything. Lately" she added quickly.

"Because you only see her at school or when I'm with her."

"So what does she do when I don't see her?"

Ayumi sighed. "Last time I accidentally met Eri in town and walked with her back to the café... only to see Keima tied to a chair and Yui about to feed him some delicacy... that was shortly after I made that bentō. Yui must've seen it."

"Oh c'mon" Chihiro groaned. "She tried to force him to eat it. Shouldn't that work in your favor?"

"I'm not sure. I don't know whether Yui made it herself or just had someone prepare it for her, but the food looked... royal..."

"Like Katsuragi's going to pay attention to things like that" Chihiro noticed.

"...she's also rich, has a big house and-" Ayumi continued.

"And a mother who likes to beat Katsuragi whenever she sees him. I'm not saying Yui's a pushover, buy at this point there's not really much she can do."

"You're right, but that way Yui's never going to give up."

"What do you want me to do? Become her matchmaker?"

"That would be nice."

"Not when you're talking about a cross-dressing rich girl like her" Chihiro scoffed. "Maybe you should ask someone else to keep her at bay?"

"Do you have anyone in mind?"

"Well... Katsuragi's mother for starters" Chihiro started counting with her fingers. "Then there's Nikaidō-sensei. And the devils, if you need heavy cavalry."

"Like the first two options are not heavy enough" Ayumi said then shook her head. "No, I don't want to start a war."

"Love's a war, darling" Chihiro grinned cheekily.

"You know, it would be a lot easier if Keima had a goddess or a god inside of him. Then he would have a love-o-meter!"

"Measuring love is not so simple" faint sleepy voice of Mercury informed her from the glass pane. "Besides, you shouldn't talk about things like that in public."

"And you shouldn't show yourself like that!" Ayumi whispered not looking at the window.

"Before you disappear" Chihiro said quietly. "Does Ayumi often daydream like that when she thinks she's alone?"

"Quite a lot."

"Mel!"

(* * *)

"Conquest completed!"

Keima allowed himself full two seconds to revel and remember the final scene and then returned to the main menu of the game. It was now the time to follow the route of the third heroine. Thankfully, the previous two runs have already supplied him with a lot of information on his next target, so he would be able to finish this one much faster. A quick glance showed him that the battery was low, so he reached with his hand to grab a replacement from his backpack. This was his most extensive motion in an hour or so and only while doing it he was reminded that his movements were restrained. Keima turned his head, his gaze falling on what was – literally – weighing him down.

He was currently in Ayumi's room and the girl in question was leaning on him, her head placed in the crook of his neck and snoring quietly.

Keima chuckled inwardly. Ayumi was lately trying to accomplish too much. She continued to run, meet with her friends, play on her guitar, meet with him and then attempted to slowly work on her academic backlog. She had somehow managed to cope with all of this for the past week.

However, her stamina wasn't limitless, so she fell asleep fifteen minutes after their 'study session' started. Well, a real study session would have Ayumi study by herself with no distractions, possibly using the notes he had prepared beforehand. What was happening here was more like her using the excuse to invite him over, so she could ask him questions from time to time, while getting distracted the rest of the time.

He was pretty certain she meant it like a date.

Keima sighed when he became aware that the position he was in was kind of awkward. He obviously wasn't a hefty male (even though he had gained a few centimeters in the last year), while Ayumi wasn't exactly a petite and light girl, so the force she exerted by just leaning on him wasn't negligible. That wasn't a problem, though. The problem was that this position immobilized him and severely restricted his movements, affecting his gaming.

Another issue was that their 'close time' usually served to satisfy at least _some_ of Ayumi's girly needs. Now, Keima didn't mind talking or eye contact. Hugging and kissing were a little more difficult, as the former proved to be... stimulating and the latter usually involved the former anyway. But still, it wasn't a problem as long as it didn't get out of hand.

But right now Ayumi was sleeping, so her daily 'get close to Keima' quota wasn't being filled at the moment, even though she was practically hugging him, making the current situation a pretty unproductive one.

Thus, keeping Ayumi that close while she wasn't even aware she was this close was quite far from the ideal route for events like this. Not that it was unsurprising.

Now, what actually _was_ surprising was the alternative. As incredulous as it was Keima found out that keeping Ayumi away from him for an extended period of time didn't really increase his comfort. He had noticed it before and he had since then turned that single observation into a steady pattern.

After some considerations he could envision the ideal route. This route had both of them in the same room and him playing his games, while there was no direct physical contact between them... at least most of the time.

As a bare logical conclusion it wasn't anything special. But as soon as he thought about what it really meant it gave him a frown. Because it meant that, to certain extent, he was better off with Ayumi in near proximity than he was alone.

That did not compute. The first time Ayumi's advances proved anything near effective was because she got too close and Keima was unable to completely ignore her... physical parameters. Ever since that time he had been vigilant, ready to keep their interactions from escalating too far.

But this now was different, as it had little to do with hugging or kissing. He had tried to reason that they had simply reached an equilibrium – Ayumi being that close to him was acceptable to him and it kept her happy – but he somehow knew that it wasn't that simple.

Keima had already changed the batteries in his PFP and started a new game, but a minute or so into it he paused it and put his game on his lap, before turning his gaze to Ayumi once more.

The girl was usually chatting, eating, running and being generally energetic, almost never staying still. And Keima usually tried keep at least some space between the two of them. This combination made it difficult to actually observe the girl, so Keima decided to use this opportunity, to study her.

When the looks alone were considered Ayumi was quite an eye candy. And he didn't mean her just being curvaceous and generally attractive. Her complexion might not be as unblemished as his game heroines, but her face was pleasing to the eye. Even her angry face could be considered cute, as long as her anger was directed at someone or something other than him. And now, while asleep, she was looking pretty serene. Innocent. Almost defenseless, reminding him of Mercury on that fateful night on Akanemaru.

In short, she was beautiful.

Keima continued to observe her, his eyes were moving slowly, mostly fixed on her face. His thoughts, on the other hand, were running in all directions, as he surveyed their history.

Before he first conquered her, Ayumi was just another real girl to him. Then Elsie fell from the sky and Ayumi became his first real heroine ever. After that it returned to normal for both of them, but not completely. And then the Mai-High festival came. Keima had to reunite the goddesses and prevent a disaster, so he paid little attention to Ayumi's situation. The mess with Chihiro didn't help any.

By the time the festival came around he was already caring for the victims of the weiss, so he was pained over what he had to do to Ayumi as well. After the festival was over he holed himself in his house, afraid to face the girls, especially Chihiro (because of his guilt) and Ayumi (because you can't almost marry a girl and hope to go away with it unharmed).

Back then he concluded that getting involved with the real was as painful and unproductive as he had presumed. But he still needed to catch runaway spirits in Maijima (possibly tens of them), so he had to suck it up and decided to just ignore his own wounds and go on – not pretending he didn't know the goddess hosts, but not encouraging them either.

And then the travel in time happened and he almost ended up torn and broken in the process. In the end result he had decided to merge with the world more – not with the entire world, but a part of it. Of course, his new found resolution was put to test when his past conquests started to remember about him and flounder around him. However, after some time had passed he noticed that the situation became, more or less, stable – the girls stopped any romantic pursuits of him or, in case of girls like Yui, became much less passionate about it. That included all the girls, even Chihiro.

All except Ayumi.

The feelings the runner had for him didn't fade out. That was somewhat understandable, but the fact that she became much more direct and determined was puzzling him even now. All of this was relevant, but it wasn't that much important right now. What was important right now was the final result. And the final result was that he and Ayumi somehow seemed to merge with each other's lives. Well, Keima pretty rarely interfered with the runner's daily affairs, but Ayumi sure did interfere with his.

Keima often had been clueless when it came to the real and real girls, but even his ignorance had its limits. For a long time now he had been aware that Ayumi was no longer just any real girl to him. She had become his equivalent of a friend (not that he needed those). She had become as close to him as Chihiro or Haqua. Scratch that... she was friendlier to him than the former one and closer than the latter.

No... if he dared to admit the truth, he knew that it wasn't as simple as that. His family relations have never looked like the real people thought they should. His father was rarely home and this might be actually the reason why Keima got along with him so well. His mother was a caring and worried housewife with plenty of berserk buttons. And Eri was a happy-go-lucky fire truck-loving idiot with the attention span of a sparrow that was responsible for a good deal of bad things that had happened to him for the last year.

And the truth was that the way Keima viewed Ayumi wasn't that much different from how he viewed his family. Sure, she wasn't living with him and hadn't known him for that long, but the same could said about Eri. He tried to think, but he couldn't really find what could be so wrong with the two of them sharing a house. And that in itself was a dangerous thought.

But then again, what was dangerous about it?

"Mhm" his thoughts were interrupted when Ayumi started to stir. Keima briefly considered going back to his game and pretending he hasn't been looking at him, but decided against it. He was actually curious to see her reaction.

Ayumi was apparently refusing to wake up, as she fidgeted in place, trying to get comfortable. Then she concluded that sleeping in a vertical position was wrong, so leaned more into him. Keima decided that it was getting out of hand when Ayumi shifted, almost straddling him.

"Ayumi" he called, hoping his usual neutral voice will snap her out of whatever dream she was having.

"Yes~" Ayumi purred with a small smile and closed eyes.

He poked her forehead with his console and it proved effective, as Ayumi opened her eyes, raised her face and look at him. And then screamed.

It was lucky her parents weren't home.

"What were you doing?" Ayumi asked from the floor when she ended up after jumping back.

"I wasn't doing anything" he explained, his eyebrow raised. "And you were sleeping calmly. At first. Then you started doing embarrassing stuff."

"Wh-what embarrassing stuff?"

"I don't know, I stopped you before you could realized whatever dream you were having at that time."

"Dream? What made you think I dreamed of you?" she asked with a red face.

"I didn't say anything about you dreaming of me" he clarified and then stood up.

"Where do you think-"

"Toilet" he replied shortly. He had been in one position for almost three hours, after all.

(* * *)

Keima refreshed himself quickly and walked out of the bathroom, heading back to Ayumi's room, thinking all the way. The girl certainly had a great supply of energy, enthusiasm and, obviously, power. That potential, however, was limited by her inability to stop or even look before she leapt. She clearly required a safety valve. A guide that could help her slow down and see the big picture.

And it seemed that was his job.

His thoughts were interrupted when he walked into Ayumi's room and saw that the girl in question was sitting on her bed, legs close to her chest and a her head in her knees.

"Ayumi?"

His first thought was that something happened or she was depressed, but as soon as he called her she raised her head and looked at him, her expression not cheerful, but not gloomy either. Before he could say anything Ayumi motioned for him to sit next to her and he obeyed.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

Ayumi was silent for a moment.

"Why?" she finally asked.

"Huh?"

"Why were you watching me while I was sleeping?" she asked with a serious face.

"How did you-" he started, before cursing inwardly.

Mercury. For her to be awake now out of all times.

"Why were you watching me?" she repeated.

"Is that really so strange for me to be doing this when you spend two hours sleeping on me?" he questioned. "You know, you should really slow down a bit" it was a weird thing to say, because Ayumi was pretty calm and slow at the moment.

As a matter of fact, she didn't respond, continuing to look at him, as if she was expecting to see something new.

"Are you going to just stare at me like that?" he asked. "I thought you would be like 'I've slept enough, let's go watch some stupid comedy show and hug' or something like that."

He added 'stupid' deliberately, using it to test her reaction. Normally, she would at least narrowed her eyes.

But this time she didn't.

"That was my original plan for tonight... but there are more important things right now" she told him, her eyes fixed on him this whole time, barely even blinking, as if she was afraid he was going to disappear if she did.

"What important things?" he asked, his own eyes surveying her, looking for any potential flags.

"I thought that it would be fine to wait a little longer, but it seems I've overestimated my own ability to read you... And I can't really go on like this without knowing."

"Knowing what?" he asked.

"How do you really feel about me, Keima?"

 **(* * *)**

 **So, Mari confirmed Ayumi is not her imagination, Ayumi got to sit on the throne of the God of Conquest and got herself into fighting games. :)**

 **Next, Eri is learning new roles... like paparazzi and sister-in-law, Ayumi is talking to Chihiro about her academic background. And Yui is not giving up :)**

 **Then Ayumi is using Keima as a pillow, while he contemplates her.**

 **And the final event is, quoting after the manga, "an unexpected straight shot in his direction"! :)**

 **I wonder what Keima's answer's going to be. Do you? If yes, then stay tuned for the next chapter. And keep your fingers crossed for our hero and our heroine. :)  
**

 **And don't forget to review! Reviews really keep me going!**

 **That's it for now! See you next time!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Here's a pokemake for the Rieko's arc. It's doesn't feel that good, but I decided to post it anyway. As a matter of principle... So, yeah.**

 **Rural potter Denma wants to fight!**

 **Denma used Clay Sport. But it failed!**

 **Denma used Mold Breaker.**

 **Denma used Clay Sport. It's super effective!**

 **Denma obtained a Galge Bowl!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Keima, Elsie and Mari appear.**

 **Denma used Happy Hour. Denma used Wrap. Keima is unable to move!**

 **Mari used Chatter. Denma used Rage. Keima's grandma used Slam.**

 **Denma used Rage. Elsie used Tapping Massage.**

 **Denma used Bestow. Keima now has a Galge Bowl! Keima flinched!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Katsuragi family used Prayer.**

 **? ? ? used Chatter. ? ? ? said "I'll cut your head off!" Elsie is confused!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Elsie used Countryside View. Keima used Chatter.**

 **? ? ? used Sing. ? ? ? sang "I'll cut your head off!"**

 **Keima and Elsie are confused!**

 **? ? ? appears. ? ? ? used Play With Me. ? ? ? used Scary Face.**

 **Old granny Rieko appears. ? ? ? is now known as Airi.**

 **Airi used Ominous Laughter. Kyahaha!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Real used Night Shade.**

 **Elsie is fast asleep. Elsie woke up!**

 **Elsie flinched. Elsie used Double Pat. Keima is unaffected.**

 **Elsie used Pillow Throw. Keima woke up! Keima's rage is building!**

 **Elsie used Helping Hand. Keima is now escorting Elsie to the toilet.**

 **Ghost appears! Ghost used Eerie Impulse. Ghost used Phantom Force. Ghost used Grudge. Ghost used Sing.**

 **Elsie is frightened! Elsie's defense greatly fell!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Real used Sunny Day.**

 **Keima's grandma used Pickled Vegetables.**

 **Elsie used Defense Curl. Elsie's defense rose!**

 **Keima used Embargo. Keima tries to leave the Galge Bowl in the shed.**

 **Ghost appears. Ghost used Sing. Ghost used Curse.**

 **Keima used Sliph Scope. Ghost is identified as Airi!**

 **Airi used Ominous Laughter. Kyahaha!**

 **Airi used Thief. Airi stole the Galge Bowl!**

 **Airi used Play With Me. Airi used Threat.**

 **Airi got away safely! Keima used Pursuit.**

 **Airi used Rock Smash. It's super effective! Keima is now playing with Airi!**

 **Airi used Substitute. Keima and Airi are playing house.**

 **Keima used Sheer Cold. Airi used Guillotine. One-hit KO! Airi beheaded Keima's substitute!**

 **Granny Rieko appears. Rieko used Protect. Rieko stopped Airi!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Rieko used Chatter. Airi used Scary Face. Airi used Fish Eyes. Elsie is frightened!**

 **Rieko used Friendship Power.**

 **Keima used Meditation.**

 **Rieko used Grandchildren Power. Keima is confused!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Real used Night Shade.**

 **Ghost appears! Ghost used Play With Me. Elsie is frightened!**

 **Elsie used Assist. But it failed!**

 **Keima used Chatter. Elsie is confused!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Elsie used Hagoromo. Elsie and Keima used Camouflage! Elsie and Keima are now Soundproof!**

 **Keima used Shoes and Pictures. Keima used Detect. Keima now knows the identity of the ghost!**

 **Elsie is confused!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Ghost appears. Ghost used Sing.**

 **Keima appears. Ghost used Happy Hour.**

 **Ghost used Demon Tag.**

 **(* * *)**

 **Granny Rieko and Airi are fast asleep! Elsie appears.**

 **Elsie used Detect. Doro! Doro! Doro! Huh? It reacts towards Granny Rieko!**

 **Keima used Touch. It's super effective! Ghost is now the Oni. Again.**

 **Ghost used Growth. Ghost is now known as Rieko!**

 **Rieko used Chatter.**

 **Keima used Counter. Keima asked where will the others come. Critical hit! Rieko flinched. Rieko's defense fell!**

 **Rieko used Chatter. Rieko used Tears. Rieko used Forever Alone. Rieko's defense greatly fell!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Elsie used Chatter. Loose souls's defense greatly fell!**

 **Elsie used Persuade. It's super effective! Loose soul's defense won't go any lower! The loose soul appears!**

 **Elsie used Imprison. Loose soul in custody!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Rieko used Double Team. It's super effective! Rieko's friends appear!**

 **Rieko used Hold Hands. Rieko used A Wonderful Life. Rieko's defense greatly rose!**

 **Rieko used Minimize. Rieko got away safely!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Keima, Elsie and Mari got away safely!**

 **Airi used Question. Granny Rieko used Happy Hour.**

 **Granny Rieko used Question. Airi is now infatuated with Keima!**

 **Kihehe! :)**


	16. Flag 36: The answer

**Hello, everyone! Here I am with sixteenth chapter of AyumiNomi!**

 **I managed to write this chapter in a week... barely. And it's not that long either. It'll be more difficult to make weekly updates from now on. :/  
**

 **Anyway, thank you for all your reviews, favs and follows! The new ones for the prequel included. :)  
**

 **As usual – replies for reviews:**

 **Aeonaxx:** I'm yet to read the KamiNomi novels as well, but thank you. :) As for Keima's reaction – just read the chapter. :P

 **Gonzalorp94:** If I had more time then this story (and the next ones) might have been longer. Alas, I don't have that much time. But who knows how many chapters are still ahead of us. I, for example, have no idea. Seriously. **  
**

 **Shawn Raven:** [I'm hope I'm replying to the correct review] I've no idea what you mean with this grinding stuff ;). And yes – Keima getting _really_ involved with _real_ girls does sound fishy :). And poor Mr. Takahara – no excuse to beat Keima so far. :)

 **ZelgadisGW:** Firetrucks? O.o Fuu... I knew I forgot about something! Ending pretty soon? We'll see about that...

 **DPSS:** Well, it's Keima... he can go on all his life pretending and believing whatever he wants. ;)

 **Sol D. Mars:** I've said it in PM, but it deserves a repetition: thank you very much! :)

 **Iutach:** Well, I'm kinda sad too, but there's not much I can do about it. Still, I hope you'll continue to read my next stories. About the second part of the review. I have that part planned out. One problem is that it isn't written down, so it wasn't checked for loopholes yet. Moreover, I can't guarantee you'll be happy with my solution. But I still hope you will be.

 **Ooh... In case you haven't noticed... the number of words and reviews for AyumiNomi surpassed the number of words and reviews for KamiNomiNai. Thank you very much for that!**

 **Alright, onto the chapter!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(* * *)**

It wasn't as if Keima didn't foresee this flag. It was just that it was the real world. The routes arrayed before him... he couldn't see them that well. And even if he could see them just right, he still wouldn't know what to do. This was not a game – one wrong step and he could hurt Ayumi. And like Chihiro said, just because he had the best intentions didn't mean things won't go wrong. Keima looked at Ayumi's earnest face and remembered something he had realized once before.

 _Giving her a half-baked explanation here would be sheer stupidity._

"Keima" Ayumi's voice brought him back to reality, her face much closer than he remembered it being a moment ago. Ayumi probably realized it, because she leaned back, looking aside, her face red.

"Sorry" she mumbled out, but he wasn't sure whether she meant the close proximity or her question. "I just... really wanted to know... but I went too far ahead of myself. I was going too fast as usual, I guess..."

"No, you're right" he said.

"Yeah, that's what I-wait" she looked back at him. "Could you say that again?"

"I said you're right" Keima repeated.

Ayumi blinked a few times, dumbfounded, but Keima remained calm.

"I am right?" she half-asked slowly, as if doubting her reasoning skills.

"Yes" Keima said.

"Okaaay..." Ayumi was actually grateful for his patience. "So what are you going to do about it then?"

"One day."

"Huh?"

"I... don't have an answer for you right now" Keima admitted. "Listen, I'm not good at things like this... but I promise I'll think about it. Just give me one day and-"

"Three" Ayumi said.

"What?" he asked.

"I can give you three days" Ayumi explained. "But after that I'll get the answer out of you, come hell of high water. I mean come new hell, I... you know what I mean" she finished lamely.

"But you don't know what I meant" Keima told her. "I'll need this day to think properly about this and that means no contact whatsoever."

"You're not implying I can't live three days without you, are you?" Ayumi asked suspiciously.

"No" Keima replied and then sighed. "Then, are three days fine with you?" Ayumi nodded. "Then it's three days" he stood up. "I'll be taking my leave then."

"W-what?" Ayumi stood up as well.

"Why are you so surprised?" Keima asked back.

"But it's still early" the runner noticed. "You don't have to leave just yet."

"Actually, I do" Keima said.

"But why?" she asked.

"Do you want a proper answer?"

"Yes" she said through gritted teeth.

"Then I'm sorry, but I have to go. Now."

Ayumi looked at him for a moment and then sighed. If this was to work, then she had to have more faith in Keima. Thus, she decided to trust him on this.

"Alright" she said and then moved forward to hug him, but Keima sidestepped her.

"No contact" he reminded her.

"Right" Ayumi said slowly. "See you later then, I guess..."

Keima nodded and then walked out of her room. Ayumi remained still for a few more moments and then moved to her window, watching as Keima walked out of her house and into the streets. Ayumi went back to her bed and plopped down onto it.

She should have at least accompanied Keima to the doorway, but that probably counted as "contact" as well.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Mel?" Ayumi whispered.

"If you're asking whether Katsuragi will give you a proper answer, then I'm sure he will" sleepy, ethereal and just as faint voice of her goddess reached her from the window. "And I'm sure knowing his opinion would be healthy for both of you."

"I thought you weren't so knowledgeable about human hearts" Ayumi noticed.

Mercury chuckled back.

"Katsuragi will answer you properly" the goddess resumed. "He doesn't want to hurt you. That I truly believe" a short pause. "And I know I told you this already... but I can't guarantee his answer will be positive."

"Yeah, I know" Ayumi replied, turning onto the side and hugging her pillow. "It doesn't matter. If Keima doesn't like me that way then he'll just tell me that. It's not like he'll break up with me this time."

"And what are you going to do then?" Mercury asked.

"Then I'll just do what I've been doing up till now, I guess" Ayumi replied. "I'll continue conquering the god."

"That's good to hear" Mercury said with a yawn. "Then there's nothing left for now but wait."

"Yeah."

(* * *)

Of course, Eri had now way of knowing about the agreement between Ayumi and Keima. Thus, she was completely clueless when she emerged from her room after midnight and found her father staying in the middle of the corridor.

She asked him what was wrong, but in response he only pointed at the end of the corridor. Eri followed this and saw Keima, sitting on the windowsill, looking into the night with a distant expression.

Immediately, she was reminded of that day almost exactly a year ago, just before Nanaka's conquest, when Keima was doing something like that as well. Was he trying to figure what a perfect galge should be like again?

And 4 hours later, when she decided to check up on him after waking up from one of her fire truck dreams, he was still there.

(* * *)

Ayumi wasn't stupid enough to claim she understood all the reasons behind Keima's three days request, but she reasoned that he wanted to distance himself from their current situation, look at the big picture. And thus Ayumi decided to play her part right and tried to act as if she and Keima weren't going out when they arrived at school.

She tried not to look at him or even think about him when in class, but it wasn't easy. How could it be? She was in love with him for crying out loud! And it wasn't as it was last year – back then she was suspicious of him. And he was pretending to be someone else. But now, now he was just being himself. Yes, he had shortcomings, but so had she! And he was getting better. Now there was a route for the two of them – for the real them.

Ayumi had asked Keima how he left about her. And the funny thing? He didn't ask how _she_ felt back. The answer seemed obvious at first – she liked him for a long time. At first she didn't like the real him. And there were various ups and downs. But she still liked him from the very beginning. Nothing surprising, right?

But only now, when Keima's acceptance was closer than ever before, did she realize how bad she got it. And she didn't even have to look for symptoms. She just tried to imagine the world without Keima. Or even worse – the world when Keima exists, but is not with her.

She sighed.

Even now, she was still certain she would have been able to go on if she hadn't chosen to use the orb back then. She would have been able to build a dam around her heart and hold back the pressure of her feelings until it subsided. But now, when the dam was already broken, she had to admit – she didn't thought the flood would be this big.

So, in a nutshell Chihiro's was right – she might be a resourceful general and be able to kick hard, but Keima could still wrap her around his little finger if he wanted. Good thing he was not that kind of guy. Or was he? He had conquered over ten thousand heroines, but had never really ventured beyond that superficial "kiss of true love" ending. Who could guarantee what he'll do now? And what if... what if Keima was actually _conquering_ her? What if he distanced himself just to make her fall for him even more?

Maybe she really couldn't endure three days without him...

"Good morning, everybody!" the lively voice of her homeroom teacher brought her out of musings. "How are you doing today?"

The class replied with a collective murmur, a mix of sighs and groans. Ayumi was one of the few who smiled faintly.

Nagase-sensei was still her over-zealous self, but the class somewhat got used to her nagging and the tensions among students lessened considerably. Of course, Keima was still attempting to play games during class and was the primary target of Nagase and all the other teachers.

One interesting thing, one that Ayumi noticed several weeks ago, was the relationship Nagase-sensei and Keima shared. On first sight their encounters seemed rather rough. If Ayumi had been unaware of Keima's inherent cold ignorance and Nagase's good intentions then she would have thought that they were both trying to be hostile.

But on closer inspection the runner realized the strange thing – yes, Keima and sensei had vastly different views on the matter of gaming in general. Yes, they were exchanging arguments with determined expression, neither backing down. But they weren't really fighting. It was more like they were training each other. Strengthening each other's resolve through obstacles.

They were two believers stranded on a tiny island among the ocean of reality.

(* * *)

"Ayumi" the girl in question turned from her spot on the veranda, only to see Chihiro approach her. "What's up."

"Nothing really" the runner replied, already suspecting where this was going.

"Yeah, I can see that" the band leader replied. "I haven't seen you and the fighter for the promotion of gamers welfare as much as look at each other today. Are giving each other's cold shoulder or what?"

"It's not that" Ayumi replied, her suspicions proved correct. "We've just decided to slow down a bit. Give each other a break once in a while."

"What for?" Chihiro asked. "Sounds like one of his schemes to me."

Chihiro wasn't totally wrong, but she was completely missing the point. Fortunately, Ayumi had an answer prepared for that.

"It's not his scheme. It's mine" she replied. "And yes. I did think this through."

"And him?"

"He probably didn't. Yet" she added quickly.

"Well, then it's fine, I guess" Chihiro said in a pretty normal voice.

"Yes, you don't need to... wait... did you just said it's fine?"

Chihiro looked back and blinked. "What so weird about it?" she asked.

"I thought you were the guardian of my chastity or something."

Chihiro groaned.

"I'm not. And frankly, I never wanted to be... it's just that Katsuragi is... well, Katsuragi. But, lately it seems you have things under control, so I can stop worrying. I have enough worries with the exams and this years' festival. But first I'm going to get some meat buns" she turned around. "You coming with me?"

"That's tempting. But I think I'll stay here to think" Ayumi said. "You can get one bun for me, though."

"Hey, shouldn't you be my errand girl, miss runner?" Chihiro said back with a smile.

"No, I would just run into a wall on my way back an damage your precious meat buns."

"Probably" Chihiro grinned and walked out of the veranda. Ayumi returned to her observing the school grounds.

This time around the weather was not so kind like the last year, but it was still only September, so it was still nice outside. Ayumi wondered how it would be like in November though.

And then she felt that someone was standing next to her.

"You're back already, Chihiro?" Ayumi turned to the side, but the person standing next to her was not Chihiro, Miyako or Eri. It wasn't even Keima.

It was Yui.

"Yo!" the drummer said with a raised hand and a wink, a spitting image of a boy greeting another boy.

Or a boy trying to hook up with a girl.

"Yui?" Ayumi exclaimed, jumping back a little. "What are you doing here?"

"Taking a stroll, what else?" the cross-dresser replied. Ayumi wasn't so sure about that. Her suspicion was quickly proven correct. "And I've heard you and Keima-kun are taking it easy at the moment."

"How do you know that?" Ayumi asked, surprised. Did Chihiro tell her about it just now? This seemed unlikely. Has Yui been stalking them?

"Simple. Keima-kun told me himself" Yui explained with her usual cheerful expression.

Ayumi blinked.

"Let's see if I got this right" she started. "Me and Keima are... 'taking it easy' at the moment" Yui looked a little unsure, but nodded. "You know about it" another nod. "And instead of exploiting this and going after Keima you came here" yet another nod. "Why?"

Yui was quiet for the longest time, her expression still cheerful. And then she shook her head.

"You really are a straightforward girl" she commented and turned to prop on the railing, smiling at the weakening autumn sun. "So it isn't really that surprising for you to not notice this."

"Not notice what?"

"Anyway, I've got to go" Yui winked again. "See you at band practice!" and with this she turned and walked away, leaving Ayumi completely confused.

(* * *)

At band practice later that day Ayumi tried to get Yui to explain what she meant earlier, but the drummer refused to answer. She only smiled that strange knowing Yui-smile which made Ayumi anxious.

Could it be that Yui and Keima had an affair beyond Ayumi's back? That sounded absurd no matter how you looked at it. How would Yui do that? Why would Keima do that? And why would Yui approach Ayumi with this? It was the worst explanation possible. But it was the only explanation she had.

And she couldn't talk with Keima about any of this, as they were still in "separation". And Ayumi didn't even try to get Chihiro to intermediate between herself, Keima and Yui. Her best friends have just given up on watching over her. It was probably best to not involve Chihiro any further.

And thus the first two days of their agreement passed and, as expected, Ayumi felt more and more empty. Hours stretched forever. Even track and field practice seemed to drag on. She never got too bored though, as she kept her eyes on Yui when she got the time. Strangely enough, the drummer was acting pretty much normal.

And then Sunday came. The third day. Tomorrow she'll meet Keima at school and learn the truth. The only problem was that on Sunday both Yui and Keima were out of her sights. Now, she didn't plan to become a stalker, but the thought to visit Café Grandpa did pass through her mind

Ayumi just came back from her morning jog and entered her house.

"You're back, Ayumi?" her mother called from the kitchen. "Could you come here for a moment?"

"Yeah" the runner entered the kitchen, opened the fridge and pulled out a sport drink. "Puah! You need something from me?" she asked as she finished drinking.

"Me? No."

Ayumi raised her eyebrow.

"Dad?"

Her mother shook her head. She was just looking. And not at Ayumi. The runner followed her line of sight... only to see Keima sitting on one of the kitchen chairs.

How did she manage _not_ to notice him when she entered the kitchen?

And what was he doing here?

"I'll leave you two then" Mrs. Katsuragi winked at her in the same manner as Yui and then left.

Ayumi turned back to Keima, but he was already standing.

"Wha-"

"I presume you'd like to shower" he interrupted. "And then you should get ready."

"Get ready?" she repeated, still in shock. "For what?"

"We're going on a date."

(* * *)

Kusunoki in a girly dress on a Wai Wai Road. Minami in a yukata during Tanabata festival. Tsukiyo in a milk bath. Shiori in a rāmen shop. Keima had once seen all of them. Looking cute, innocent and flustered (in real girls standards anyway). But now, as he glanced to his side, he was certain – in this particular situation Ayumi beat them all.

The two of them were walking through the streets of Narusawa City and Ayumi recovered enough to question the situation she found herself in.

"So what is this supposed to mean?" she asked, vaguely gesturing to both of them going on a date. "You said to not make any contact for three days!"

"I did say 'no contact whatsoever', but I only meant one day back then" he reminded her. "I didn't say we won't be seeing each other for whole three days."

Ayumi nodded her head. "So, can you tell me why are we doing this?"

"To figure things out, obviously" he told her.

"That's not very explanatory" Ayumi commented. And then she noticed the crowd of people around them. And where they were.

"You're taking me to Dezeni Sea Land?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yes" Keima responded. "Do you mind?"

"N-no... not at all..."

(* * *)

Ayumi didn't mind when Keima bought her a delicious parfait.

She also didn't mind when he won her a plushie at a shooting game.

And she most certainly didn't mind when he kissed her in the middle of their ride on the ferris wheel, illuminated by setting sun.

Not at all.

Did she mind anything after that? It was hard to say, because after that she stopped caring for most things around her. It was only her and Keima. And, surprisingly, Ayumi found out that she didn't feel like her usual self – rushing ahead and crashing into walls with the force of a cannonball. Quite the opposite – she was walking slowly and her body felt as light as a cloud.

So that's how Minami felt back then, huh? Lucky girl...

But in the end, yes, she did mind when the date ended and Keima walked her back to her house.

"I hope you had a good time" Keima said when they stopped in front of her gate.

"You know I did" she said quietly. And sighed. She was really beginning to believe he was trying to wrap her around his finger.

But she still didn't know why.

She knew it was a bad idea to ask, but she couldn't stop herself after his previous question.

"What about you?" she looked at him. "Did you have a good time?"

"Considering what my previous visits to that place looked like?" he asked with something that other people would call a straight and neutral expression. But Ayumi knew he was smiling. "Pretty much yes."

"But you'd still prefer to play games in your house that go to a amusement park with a real girl?" oh, why did she ask that? She and her big mouth.

"Yes."

Well, it's not like she expected anything else. If anything it was a progress.

"So, about your answer..."

"Three days, Ayumi" he reminded her. "We'll talk about it tomorrow. After school, if possible."

Ayumi bit her lip. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then" she said and received a nod in return.

At least she got a goodbye kiss before she turned around and walked away.

Keima followed her with his eyes. He already had two days to think and this date only solidified his view. He still had one night, but no matter how he looked at it the real girls were still...

(* * *)

Ayumi had expected the following night to be sleepless or, at the very least, restless, but to her surprise she slept just fine. Moreover, despite the approaching premonition of Keima's answer and the fact that it was Monday she felt strangely complacent. She had no problem in waking up, paying (some) attention in class or playing during band practice. This resulted in a new suspicion – maybe the purpose of the date was to calm her down?

She didn't know what to think about it anymore.

And no, she wasn't really nervous. Actually, the only real discomfort she felt the entire day (besides the amount of schoolwork and nagging teachers) was her bladder. Why did she drink so much at lunch time and during practice? She blamed Chihiro and her snack breaks for that one, she thought as she rushed to the bathroom, seconds after they have finished their practice.

Once relieved, she walked back to the clubroom, already prepared for Chihiro's snide comments and Eri's worried glance, but when she walked into the room she found it empty.

Ayumi blinked twice. Where did everyone else go? Did they just leave without her? And they even took her guitar! Before she could do anything else, she heard two sounds.

First, was the sound of metal scraping against the wood.

Second, was the sound of someone clearing his throat.

Ayumi turned to the side and noticed her guitar case propped against the wall next to a chair. On the chair sitting and scraping the surface of the desk in front of him with the clubroom key was Keima.

She should've asked what he was doing here or where were the others, but instead she opened her mouth and said:

"Is this a new game of yours? Whenever I enter a room you're already there on a chair."

Visually, Keima seemed unaffected, but somehow she sensed that he was chuckling inwardly.

"Where are the others?" she asked, but already predicted his answer.

"I told them I needed to talk with you. Strangely, Chihiro didn't have any qualms and handed me the key. Probably figured out you would kick me yourself if I lost them or something."

Ayumi laughed, but if she was hoping it would help her unwind she was wrong – the anxiety finally got to her. Keima, as if sensing that, stood up and faced her.

"Umm... so I guess you have an answer for me now?" she asked, trying for an even voice.

"Yes, I do" he replied.

"So...?" she urged him on after a moment of silence.

"During those three days" he started slowly. "I was thinking about everything I know about girls... all kind of girls. I was remembering why I conquer game heroines. And why I love them. I also tried to compare them to the girls outside of games."

"That's very interesting" Ayumi said, trying to be considerate. "But I would be grateful if you could get to the... umm... conclusions."

Keima was quiet for a moment. Ayumi could swear she heard her own heartbeat.

"My conclusions, concerning the real girls are... unchanged since last time" Keima said before sighing. "I get it... that real girls are... not as bad as I used to think... at least when you put in some effort. And the girls that I meet during my conquests... Chihiro... Tenri... Tsukiyo, Nanaka, Mio... and all the others... they're probably much better than most... girls."

Ayumi didn't reply. She was just looking at Keima with widened eyes and trembling lips.

"But I think... I can't really... love... real girls the way I love my game girls... And the same goes for the devils and goddesses..."

Ayumi slowly comprehended what Keima was trying to tell her.

It wasn't as if everything was lost. They still had good thing going and he could make her happy. He proved that yesterday... No, Keima wasn't the real problem. It was _her_ who wasn't able to make _him_ happy. Maybe he had changed enough? Perhaps it was now her turn to change? But what could she do? Was Keima implying she would need to become a game heroine?

She needed some time to think about this. To organize her thoughts. And the sooner she'll do it, the sooner she'll be able to get over it and the sooner she'll be able to make both of them happy.

She had to leave, but she had to do it without upsetting Keima. She just needed a moment to compose herself, without him seeing her face. So she walked past Keima with a soft "I see" intending to pick her guitar case, when she suddenly felt a strong tug. She almost lost her balance as she felt herself being spun around. When her vision cleared she realized she was face to face with Keima, his left hand was grasping her right one, while his other hand somehow ended up on her back. Ayumi looked up at Keima and noticed his slightly scolding gaze.

"Where are you going?" he asked. "I'm not done talking yet."

"Y-you're not?" Ayumi asked automatically. "But you just said..."

"We've talked about game girls, devil girls, goddess girls and real girl" Keima summed up. "But none of them are relevant now. Now, we should talk about you."

Ayumi opened her mouth. And then closed it. The same thing repeated two or three times before she managed to make any kind of noise.

"B-but I am a real girl..." she stammer out.

"Real girl, my butt!" Keima told her. "No real girl... has ever managed... to make me..."

"To make you?" Ayumi repeated.

"Make me... feel that way."

"What way?" she asked, despite being breathless.

Keima looked to the side.

"Well... I have trouble concentrating properly when I don't know how you're doing. I'm not comfortable when you're away for long... And l-let's face it... You're cute and beautiful girl. A little too lively and hot-headed... but we can work on that."

Ayumi discreetly pinched herself, but nothing changed. She forgot that it was better to let Keima talk, fully intending to say something... but words failed her.

"I don't want to see you sad... And until recently I thought I didn't care who made you happy. But now... I think I want to be the that person."

Ayumi continued to listen to him with her mouth open.

"Long story short... I... I can't honestly say that I love you... but I think... I think I like you. As a girl" he finished.

Two seconds of silence.

"Ayumi?"

"Do you mean it?" she asked, her voice barely above whisper. Neither of them noticed when her hands ended up on his shoulders, nails digging into his skin through clothes. "Do you really mean it?" she repeated a little louder

"Y-yeah" he stammered out before looking at her blank expression. "Are you alright?"

The only answer he got was her suddenly leaning on him, almost knocking him over in the process. Was she trying to hug him?

"Ayumi?"

"Sorry, I just... need to rest for a moment" she told him. In truth her legs just turned to jelly.

They stayed like that for a minute. Keima was just hoping that the rest of the 2-B pencils weren't eavesdropping outside of the room.

"I like you too" Ayumi's words brought him back to reality. The runner stepped back, pulling her weight off him. "I love you, Keima" she confessed with teary eyes.

Keima didn't like crying girls. On the other hand, he had never seen a girl cry while looking so happy. Real world was a strange place.

"So that's your answer?"

"Yes" he replied. "I take that it's okay with you" he added with a note of Keima-ish skepticism.

"For now it'll do" she replied with a dangerous smirk. "But I'm not done conquering you yet."

"Hmph! Bring it!" he shot back, faking seriousness and she laughed.

"Then all that remains for now is to deal with Yui" Ayumi reminded herself.

Keima coughed.

"About that" he started Keima after he caught her attention. "I think you can stop worrying about Yui" Ayumi looked at him in surprise, prompting him to continue. "It seems she have seen the current situation coming... somehow she realized we would end up like that. And don't ask me how she did it. I just talked with her once."

"You mean that..."

"It seems she gave up, yes."

That piece of news was, combined with everything else, was too much to handle it calmly. In result, she leapt onto Keima, wrapping her arms around him tightly and almost knocking him over again.

"Easy, easy" he tried to say, but any further attempts at speaking were cut off when Ayumi shut him up with a kiss. Keima inwardly rolled his eyes, but kissed her back at the same time trying to stop her from crushing him.

After a few seconds Ayumi pulled back, giggling and smiling like a love-struck schoolgirl... which she was. Her smile faded when Keima staggered in place and then plopped back on the chair, his face turning pale.

"Keima?" Ayumi asked, concerned. "What's wrong?"

"I... didn't get much sleep those past three nights..."

"What?!" she hollered. "Are you _serious_?" he nodded. "Why?"

"You wanted an answer and I took it seriously" he explained.

Ayumi was seriously considering kicking him (lightly), but she could do it some other time. Instead she stood up, walked to the door and locked it. Keima watched Ayumi retrieve some things from her backpack and set them on the desk, before walking to the other part of the room.

He furrowed his brow. What was she doing?

Ayumi returned, carrying two chairs and putting them next to the first.

"Sit here" she ordered Keima, pointing at the third chair.

"What are you doing?" he asked once he sat where she told him to.

"Studying" she replied, sitting on the first chair in front of the desk and arranging her stuff on the desktop.

"Why here?"

"Because you need to sleep" she told him.

Keima thought about it for a moment. Going to sleep was tempting, but something wasn't right.

"Why three chairs then?" he asked.

"So you can lie down."

"You're sitting on one of the chairs" he noticed. "How am I supposed to sleep here?"

"Well, figure it out, oh God of Conquest" she half-mocked.

Keima looked at her blankly for a moment. And then he blushed.

"Fine" he drawled out, as if he was being forced, but Ayumi knew better. "If you insist..." and then he leaned over, slowly placing his head on her lap and fidgeted for a moment.

It was hard to tell which one of them was more blushing now.

"I-is it... c-comfortable?" she asked, trying and failing to stay calm.

"Yes..." Keima replied, his voice distant.

"Then sweet dreams, I guess... oh, wait... you don't like sweet things... does that include dreams?"

The only response was a soft snoring.

Ayumi chuckled. Then she placed one hand on Keima's head, raking her fingers through his hair and smiling to herself. She continued to ruffle his hair for a while, before sighing with contentment.

She might as well start studying... she's going to stay in this clubroom for a while...

 **(* * *)**

 **Ta-dah!**

 **I wasn't deliberately planning for this chapter to be posted on Valentine's Day, but I'm sure glad it happened like that** ** **(at least in my time zone)**... So... happy Valentine's Day, everybody! :)**

 **So here you have it: Yui yielding (?), Keima sleeping on Ayumi's lap (again :P) and Keima finally saying it. If it was a galge then it would probably be an ending, not a perfect one, but still an ending...  
**

 **...but it's not a galge. So it's not over yet! Stay tuned for future chapters!**

 **Also, I have a small favor to ask (** ** **I was supposed to ask this last time, but I forgot... -.-')**. In the last chapter I have written a few possible majors for Ayumi if she were to go into university. The problem is I can't decide on a final major, so I ask you, my readers! Just choose a major for Ayumi (preferably from the ones in the last chapter) and write it in your review!  
**

 **And side notes: 1) there won't be an omake for a while, 2) today's reference is brought to you by Antz!**

 **And, as always, reviews, favs and follows would be much appreciated! ;)  
**

 **I think that's it for now.**

 **See you next time!**


	17. Flag 37: Full circle

**Hello, I'm back!**

 **I won't be lying to you... this chapter took me a while. New semester, renovation of a flat and I had almost no time to write. Add to this the problems with putting the plot together and you get what you see – over two weeks to write some 4500 words. And I wanted to post it yesterday... I just didn't manage. Sorry.  
**

 **And one chapter per two weeks wouldn't be a problem if this was a stand-alone story... but when I think how long it will take me to do the other stories...**

 **Anyway, there are some good news – we reached over 100 reviews on this story! That's more than KamiNomiNai has after all this time. Thank you very much to all of you for that!  
**

 **And here are the replies for the reviews since the last time:**

 **Sol D. Mars:** Well, I'm not completely sure I'll manage the fluff, but there will certainly be some. That doesn't mean we're completely done with the plot. :)

 **Skullcandyklive:** Let's just say that your review is rewarding, satisfactory, gratifying and pleasant. :) Oh... and you need to be 'white' in the library. :P And yes, there are going to be more "substories" similar to this. :)

 **Gonzalorp94:** No problem. Actually, I'm sorry for the late chapter. :/ I'll see what I can do about the college thing. And I've kinda decided what to do with Ayumi's major. I'll have to assume some things about universities, but I suppose none of you will mind. :)

 **Aeonaxx:** The ending is still some distance away. As to whether something will happen or not... who knows? ;) I'll try to put the next chapter quicker than this one.

 **Qruis:** I'm very much happy that you read my story in one go! :) And that it got into your top list. Thank you very much. As for your questions... they will be answered. But not yet. As for Chihiro x Keima... I plan to do that... but not in this story...

 **Anonimo 0:** Frankly, I'm not really sure if I understood you right. Besides, I have the general "time" plot for the entire series figured out (besides some minute details). I could add something like "looking for an enemy", but that would only make the stories longer (also in time needed to post them) and I don't want that.

 **Iutach:** If Ayumi asked using "with me" then there would be no suspense. I actually spent some time to make Ayumi ask it like that and make it believable. :) As for the major... Ayumi can run for a living for like 10 or 20 years... and then what? I know she could be a Japanese housewife (and maybe she will be :P), but I think her ambitions don't stop there. And Keima can be a good motivator and analyst, but a coach? I'm not sure about that. Not in the professional sense... unless he becomes Ayumi's official coach. And chef of the café? I didn't think about that.

 **Shawn Raven:** Thank you very much for this review. :) I'm glad you liked it so much. I'd like to write something about Ayumi's relations with Keima's parents, but I don't know if I'll find time to write a scene for that. As for Keima's reaction... well, you should already know that.

 **Zapdosage:** Thank you very much! And I will! ;)

 **Hikigaya:** Well, going to Tokyo would be a bit too much (although it would be probably logical, given the university in Narusawa City). Keima in University of Tokyo? Possible, but I wonder if he needs that. And Ayumi in University of Tokyo? I would really need to dislike her to do that. :) And thank you.

 **Guest:** There'll be a story for Yui as well. Eventually. Well, Keima has given into the real but only into small part of it. The thing is that he doesn't consider Ayumi a real girl, but something like a real heroine. Or something like that. Gla you like it. And coo all you like.

 **Whew... that took a while... Okay, let's just go onto the chapter.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(* * *)**

Keima was standing in a small, but well-planned field kitchen and preparing another two coffees. He then opened the last untouched portable refrigerator and retrieved a premade dessert before placing it on a tray.

"Master" a female voice made him turn his head, only to see Ayumi, dressed in a maid uniform entering the booth.

"Here are orders for another 2 tables" she handed him two slips of paper.

"Thank you" he replied, before looking closer at the runner. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just glad that Kanon-chan didn't have the time to come today" she sighed. "If we were to have a famous idol waiter in a maid outfit, then we wouldn't be able to survive this. Her fans would just swarm the café."

Keima nodded.

It was the first day of the Mai-High Festival and, once again, their class prepared and outdoor café with Ayumi, Eri and Mobuko as waitresses and Keima as a master and barista. And this time there was no Vintage threat, so they could just focus on their job.

"What about Nora?" Keima asked. "Did she leave already?"

"No, she's sitting by her table and asks for another coffee on the house" Ayumi told him. "Are we going to give it to her?"

"If Haqua sent her to watch me then it's her job. I don't owe her anything, so that's a no" he replied. "Besides, I bet she's here to make fun of me."

Ayumi nodded her head. But Keima noticed her looking more tense than a moment ago.

"Is something else bugging you?" he asked.

"Not really" she told him, but fidgeted under his gaze. "It's just this outfit" she gestured to her maid uniform. "Don't you think it's a bit too much?"

"It's one of the reasons why the café is prospering so well this year."

"I know that!" Ayumi told him.

"So what's the problem then?" he questioned. "When we were starting, you didn't have any qualms about it."

"Back then I didn't know your reaction yet."

"My reaction?" he asked, apparently surprised.

"You're girlfriend is working as a maid" Ayumi started. "And serving customers, mostly guys, during a festival where any outsider can enter... and even with the quality of your coffee some of the customers are not here for coffee at all."

"And your point?"

"My point is: aren't you even a _tiny_ bit jealous of all of those guys sitting there?"

"Why would I be?" he asked, not looking at her from another latte he was preparing.

"Well, they look at me."

"If I was to get jealous over every guy that looks at you..."

"Oh, c'mon theirs are not just your regular glances" she countered, as if Keima failed to comprehend the most obvious thing ever.

"What do you mean?"

"They look at me in different way."

At this Keima finally looked up from his work. "Different?"

"You know... that way" she clarified while blushing.

He furrowed his brow "What way?"

Ayumi groaned, embarrassed. "They look at me all the time, they want me to kneel by the table and stir their coffee like we're a real maid café" she smoothed out her uniform, as if trying to cover more of her skin, her face all red. "And they try to look under my shirt, as if I didn't have a boyfriend. And, and..." she paused when she noticed the look on Keima's face. He was looking quite adorable. And he was smiling.

"What is that goofy look for? Wait" she narrowed her eyes a little. "You made me say it on purpose!"

"Of course" Keima replied. "You look a lot cuter when embarrassed."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, playboy" she lectured him, fully aware how untrue it was.

"Not my diagnosis" he responded, proving he was aware of it as well.

"But seriously, this... attention is much more than it was last year and I don't know why" Ayumi remarked, checking her appearance in a mirror she used when changing clothes. "I don't see that much of a difference compared to last year."

"This time I was the one overseeing your dressing up, so it's only natural."

"Ooh?" she tilted her head. "You think it's thanks to you?"

"Obviously. Just as it was for the Pri Pri contest."

"Huh?"

"I helped to choose costumes for all the winners" Keima explained.

"What do you mean 'winners'?" she asked in surprise. "The results will be published tomorrow."

"Yes, but it's already obvious who's going to take the first three places, isn't it?" he questioned, wincing a little when he put a few lumps of sugar into another coffee.

Ayumi thought about it for a moment and realized that Keima was right. The first place would probably be Urara in her nurse outfit: her participation resulted in a number of boys pretending to faint and needing medical attention. The second place could very well be Tsukiyo, who was dressed using gothic lolita fashion with tremendous effect. And if those two were to ended up winning like that then the third place could belong only to Eri who was cosplaying as a firewoman. Ayumi knew the female Katsuragi was really adorable, but she didn't know how she managed to make something so unsexy as a firefighting uniform look so... hot.

Until now.

She shook her head. She knew that Keima once managed to dress up young Tenri to win a swimsuit contest, but this was simply beyond her comprehension.

"Now, I'm the one getting jealous" she looked at him, feigning offense. "You dressed other girls than me."

"Helped to choose costumes, not dressed" Keima corrected her. "And it's not like I was in the dressing room with you when you were changing either."

"And would you like to?" she asked the no-good-answer question. Well, Keima probably didn't realize it was also a no-bad-answer question.

"Anyway... your costume is better than theirs" he said before glancing at her. "You should've been competing this time as well."

"Thanks, but no thanks."

"Suit yourself" he told her and then handed her two trays full of cups and desserts. "These are for tables 2 and 7" he pointed to the left tray. "And this is for table 3."

"I'm glad you remember such things, so I don't have to."

(* * *)

"I was right, after all" Mobuko told Ayumi as she was changing back into her school uniform. It was already dark outside. "An outdoor café with you as a waitress and ot-Katsuragi as the master is a goldmine! And this is just one day. Think about tomorrow. We will really become millionaires!"

"Yes, but we're done for today" Ayumi replied, reaching for the knot to undo her uniform.

"Not yet" Mobuko stopped her. "There's still one more customer at the café."

"What?" the runner asked surprised. "For half an hour now we haven't been letting new customers in and we kept the café open for two hours more than we intended anyway! And I checked, all customers have already left."

"Well, one customer appeared right now and master said we have to serve that one."

"Then you do it" Ayumi tried, eager to spend some time alone with Keima.

"Uh-uh" Mobuko shook her finger. "The customer asked specifically for you. Sorry."

Ayumi groaned, but there was nothing she could do about it. She was certain the customer was either some guy who'll try to go for touching when no-one's looking and she will have to hurt him... or someone from her friends and acquaintances. Like Chihiro, Haqua, Akari or Ryō.

Thus, she was greatly surprised when she walked out of their booth and saw that the café was empty, except for one table, where a single person was seated.

And this person was Keima, back in his school uniform.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

Keima raised his eyebrow in question. "I wanted to drink some good coffee."

"Then perhaps you should do it at home?"

"My café doesn't have such presentable staff" he countered, scrutinizing her from head to toe, making her blush.

"Aren't you supposed to greet me?" he asked after a moment of her looking at him and not saying anything.

Ayumi was quiet for a second or two and then looked around. Once she made sure that the coast was clear, she decided to just play along.

"Okaerinasaimase, goshujinsama!" she said in the cutest, most girly voice she could muster. "Would you like to make an order, master?" she asked with a smile.

"Yes, I would like takoyaki, karaage chicken and black coffee."

Ayumi blinked. Keima had asked for appetizers one would find in a regular restaurant. And this was just an amateur outdoor café. How was she supposed to get him those?

"I'm terribly sorry, master, but that's not in our menu" she told him with an apologetic smile.

"Just ask your chef. I'm sure he'll manage" Keima said with a meaningful glance.

Ayumi wasn't really sure what he meant, but didn't want to spoil his fun, so she noted his order and walked back to the booth, not really knowing what to expect. Mobuko wasn't there anymore. But there was a tray packed with exactly what Keima ordered, completed with cutlery. Was it done by him? Eri? Sumire? Haqua? She would never know.

She returned to Keima's seat, placed his order in front of him with "here's your order, master" and waited, not knowing what to do next. Keima knew though.

"Aren't maids supposed to decorate the dishes of their customers?" he asked.

"Umm... with what?" she questioned.

"In this case? Tomato ketchup."

"Ah... unfortunately, it seems we ran out of ketchup" Ayumi told him while scratching the back of her head, only partially feigning her embarrassment.

"Not a problem" Keima told her, pointing to a bottle of ketchup resting on the table, though Ayumi was certain it wasn't there a moment ago. At this point she gave up trying to make sense out of it and just went with the flow.

She grabbed the bottle, opened it and poured some over the takoyaki and chicken.

"Aww..." she groaned with displeasure, looking at what she's done. "It was supposed to be a heart!"

"Don't worry" Keima told her. "Besides, being clumsy is endearing quality of a maid and constitutes her moe factor" he added with his "conquest mode" smile.

"T-thank you, master" she replied, the color of her face matching the color of the ketchup she squeezed out of the bottle. "D-do you need anything else...? Master?"

"Yes, I would like you to feed me."

She wasn't even surprised. She leaned closer to him, fully aware of the view she was giving him, took his fork and proceeded to feed him. It was both similar and different to the times when she fed him a bentō. She knew that she was the more embarrassed out of the two of them right now. But, strangely, she wasn't sure which one of them was enjoying the current situation more.

She just hoped that no-one else was watching them right now.

"Would you like me to put some sugar in your coffee too, master?" she couldn't stop herself from teasing him a little.

"No" he replied as expected, but then he smiled. "Unless you add the sugar and stir my coffee for me yourself."

She didn't even have to think about it. I mean, Keima? Drinking a sweetened drink she helped to prepare? She couldn't miss that one...

(* * *)

"So what are you gonna do to repay me?" she asked half an our later when they were walking back from the festival.

"Repay you for what?" he asked

"For doing that little stunt for you back there."

"And here I thought you did it out of your love for me..."

"And that's exactly why you should repay me – out of _your_ love for me" she countered.

"Hey, I've become the master of the café willingly this time" he defended.

"You did it to gather some money" she accused.

"That too" he admitted. "But I did it for you as well... and what about the date at the eve yesterday? Wasn't that good enough?"

"That doesn't count" she told him plainly. "You enjoyed it as well."

"You think?" he responded. "Crowds of people. My mother stalking us with a camera. No secluded make out spots. Not even on the rooftop. I'd say I sacrificed my happiness for yours. But I get what you're saying though... Fine, I'll think about something for tomorrow."

She grinned and then leaned onto him. "By the way, you know that dad invited you over for dinner tonight?"

"Yes and I can bet he did it to keep his eye on me..."

"You're saying it as if he was going to follow us to the festival..."

"Your father? No. Your mother did."

"What!?"

"She was in the café today. Eri was serving her. You didn't see her?"

"No..."

Keima chuckled. "Anyway, it's late. If I am to come over for dinner, then we should hurry."

"What about your mother?" Ayumi asked. "Isn't she expecting you?"

"Well, probably" he admitted. "But considering I sometimes went missing for a day to camp for a release of a new game, she shouldn't be angry I stayed for dinner at your place. Besides..." he glanced at her. "She isn't expecting just me. She didn't see you in my house for a long time now, you know?"

"I know" Ayumi replied. "But I was busy with the mid-term tests, getting ready for the festival and all the stuff."

Ayumi went silent for a moment, thinking about the recent events. The sports festival, during which she had to run and win in several events – a feat she achieved only because Keima had organized something he called "Ayumi's cheering team", which consisted of him, Eri, Chihiro, Miyako and Nagase-sensei. And she did it despite the mid-term exams.

Speaking of exams... Ayumi had really been trying to do as much as possible by herself, but it proved more difficult than she originally thought. Her being smarter than her grades for the last years suggest was one thing. Her trying to study books with barely any pictures was completely another matter altogether. Thus, she had to have Keima help her. And it was not easy, as several other girls, scared by the prospects of the final exams, pestered him for serious study sessions.

And it didn't include only girls from their school. Keima tutored Sumire and Nanaka as well. Even Tenri appeared once or twice. And from their school only Minami was absent, claiming she was fine on her own.

Such sessions continued for an entire week, held at different places, like Mio's house, the library and 2-B pencils' clubroom. One of them even took place at Shiratori's household. The looks on the old man Shiratori and Yanagi's faces were priceless.

And then there was the band performance tomorrow. Frankly, the festival was fun, but this time around she'll be the one who will have to rest a few days afterwards. She was burning so much calories lately that she didn't see Mercury awake even once for the past week.

"Could you tell her I'll visit tomorrow?" Ayumi told Keima after she was done reminiscing.

"With pleasure" Keima replied. "That'll finally get her off my back for now."

"I told you she'll be pestering you with 'when is Ayumi-chan going to come over again?' kind of sermons."

"Yes, you did" he admitted. "And she doesn't call you 'Ayumi-chan', you know?"

"What are you talking about?" she questioned. "I heard her call me that last time."

"She calls you that only to your face."

"Ooh... so what does your mother call me when I'm not there?"

"Dau-never mind that... anyway, we're here" he said, pointing at Ayumi's house.

Ayumi shook her head, but decided to drop the topic.

"Then let's go" she grabbed his hand and started to drag him in the direction of her home. "The customers ate all the cakes and I've been going hungry for the last two hours!"

(* * *)

"What's with this crowd?" Chihiro asked, peeking from behind the drapes, observing the ending of the performance of the current band on the stage.

"What do you mean?" Miyako asked, adjusting her clothes for the fifth time.

"There's only about five or six hundred people in here!"

"What's so wrong about it?" Ayumi asked. As far as she was concerned, she only needed one person in the audience.

"That's roughly the same number of people as the last year!" Chihiro complained.

"So?" it was Eri's turn to ask.

"I thought that after last year our number of fans would increase!"

"Oh, c'mon. Last time there wasn't that much people until Kanon-chan appeared and this time she isn't performing" Ayumi tried to reason with her best friend.

"Besides, last time we didn't have _any_ fans." Miyako chipped in. "And this year we even got some people watching during our practice" she said, before frowning a little. "But I expected those people to be boys... and the only boy all this time was Katsuragi... and there were even some people not from our school isn't that weird?"

"Yeah... it kinda is" Chihiro confirmed, Ayumi coughed, Yui chuckled and Eri was staying quiet, trying to not say something that Miyako shouldn't know. "Anyway, it seems we're up. Let's get this show on the road, ladies!"

(* * *)

Ayumi didn't really know what to expect from Keima during the 2-B pencils' performance. She guessed he would either act like he usually did and stay hidden in the crowd or do something out of a galge and bring embarrassing posters or something. While neither prospect was bad in general, Ayumi decided to not actively try to locate her boyfriend.

The reason was simple – she had to focus. She was playing the second fiddle... well, the second guitar in the band. She wasn't doing the vocals, but she was responsible for utilizing her endless energy to put on the show and entertain the audience.

And, of course, entertain Keima.

And this was exactly what she was going to do.

Despite the abundance of things to do, the band managed to improve significantly, proved by the enthusiastic response of the audience. This time they were performing a different song, once again an original written by Chihiro. And this time there was no reason for panic, sadness or tears. This time there was only music, shouts from the crowd and words on the wind propagating throughout the campus. It definitely felt different than the last year.

But it definitely felt nice.

Each band was supposed to play only one song, but the audience decided otherwise and pleaded for the encore, so willy-nilly the 2-B pencils performed another song, the only other completed song they had – The Memory of My First Love. It was during this song that Ayumi felt it. The feeling of nostalgia that washed over her. For a moment she feared that the history came full circle. That nothing has changed. That the festival will end and once again she will find herself alone, confused and bitter, just as she felt last November...

...but then the song ended and Ayumi heard the cheering of the crowd and she saw the tired but happy faces of her bandmates. And then she understood. The past was over and the circle had been broken. Every tie she had to the mess that was her heart a year ago was cut. Everything was explained, every feeling of guilt, confusion and regret faded away. She had probably realized it before, but never before consciously. Suddenly, she felt free, ready and capable to pursue the future she desired.

And so it happened, that the future she desired was the one with Keima.

(* * *)

"I told you it'll be good" Miyako started as soon as the entire band was out of the festival grounds. "But even I didn't think we would do the encore!"

"And we now actually have fans!" Yui added with a big smile. "We even got to give our first autographs! How cool is that?"

"I know what is cooler" Chihiro smiled as well. "The fact that most of the fans are boys!"

"What so good about it?" Eri asked with a furrowed brow.

"Umm... Hello! We have dozens of boys yearning for our attention" Chihiro explained. "What's _bad_ about that?"

"Well, you backed up pretty quickly, when said boys started confessing to you" Miyako noticed with a laugh.

"Hey, they were doing it in public, weren't handsome and were just trying to suck up to me" the band leader defended herself. "That kind of guys are nice as fans, but I'm not interested in any of them."

"I think Miyako wasn't talking about those guys" Yui chimed in. "I think she meant the one confessing to you privately after the concert."

"You _saw_ that?" Chihiro asked, aghast.

"We all saw that" Ayumi told her. "So what do you think about him?"

"He wasn't handsome as well, so I'm not interested" Chihiro told them and walked in front of them, but they still could see the tips of her ears turn red.

"What about you, Yui?" Miyako asked.

"What do you mean?" the drummer replied, seemingly lost.

"I'm certain I saw a few guys making sheep's eyes at you..."

Yui groaned. "It's nothing new. I know them. But they aren't nothing like _that_ guy."

"Ooh... Yui has someone she likes?" Miyako quickly catched on. "Who is it?"

"A person who did not reciprocate my feelings" Yui said before perking up. "But that's in the past now."

"Optimistic as usual" Miyako commented. "Then we should move onto another optimistic member of our band... right, Eri?"

"H-huh?"

"Were there any boys who confessed to you after the performance?"

"N-no, no boys were l-looking at me and c-confessing to me!" the fire-truck lover responded, feigning ignorance.

"We're not buying that Eri" Miyako pressed on. "There's bound to be some boys out there interested in you."

"That's right" Chihiro rejoined the discussion. "I saw some guys at the beauty contest. They seemed _very_ interested in our bassist."

"T-that's not how it was!" Eri defended herself.

"And" Chihiro continued. "I saw one of them confess to you behind the stage. You're finally getting popular, Eri" the band leader stopped to think, not paying attention to Eri's frantic gestures. "But it was only one guy, while there was at least a dozen at the beauty contest. I wonder why."

"Probably because Keima deemed the rest of the boys who tried to approach his sister not worthy of her as per whatever game theory he knows" Ayumi said with a smile.

Eri didn't reply, but her red face spoke volumes.

"I think our cute bassist have been embarrassed enough for now" Miyako smiled gently before turning around. "What about you, Ayumi?"

"Huh? What about me?" the runner asked.

"Frankly, I was expecting you to run to Katsuragi the moment our performance ended" Miyako explained.

"Well, Katsuragi's not the kind of guy to do that."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that" a male voice resounded, startling all five of them.

"Keima-kun?" Yui was the first to recover. "Where have you been?"

"I got pulled into a conversation with a gaming friend of mine. A real genius" Keima replied. Ayumi, Chihiro, Eri and Yui understood it as "I was talking with Haqua" while Miyako only nodded in understanding. "By the way, congratulations on a successful performance to all of you. And Eri?"

"Yes?"

"What do you think about that guy who confessed to you?"

"Not you too, nii-sama!"

"I think that actually means the guy made an impression on Eri!" Chihiro noticed. "And that your brother actually approves!"

"I didn't say that" Keima clarified before clearing his throat. "Anyway, are you going to celebrate your performance?"

"What do you ask?" Chihiro questioned. "Are you going to steal Ayumi right now?"

"No" Keima paused for a moment. "Actually I was thinking about joining you and adding a photo or two to the album" he showed them his and Ayumi's album.

"That's very sweet of you" Ayumi told him with a smile, not seeing or ignoring the mischievous glances of the four other girls. "Now that I think about it, it's a good thing we didn't make any photos from the café yesterday."

Keima cleared his throat again. "About that..." he handed her the opened album. Ayumi took a closer look and then her face exploded into red.

"W-what?" she stuttered out.

"Oh, that's cute!" Yui cooed, looking over her shoulder. "You've got a talent, babe!"

"Wait... you did _that_ for nii-sama?" Eri questioned.

"Don't look!" Ayumi closed the album. "Who? Who took these photos?" she asked before pausing.

"Chihiro...?" she finally asked.

"Yes?"

"Why are you so quiet?"

"Umm..." the band leader was sweating bullets. "I think I'll go ahead!" she said, before running off.

"Oh no, you don't!" Ayumi said and jumped at the band leader, pinning her to the ground, while the rest laughed at the scene. Even Keima was smiling.

"Okay, let's go to karaoke!" Yui proposed once Chihiro apologized.

"And this time Katsuragi will sing as well" Miyako said.

"And that would a good opportunity for another photo!" Yui said winking.

Keima just groaned, but he didn't resist when Ayumi took his hand and dragged him with the rest.

 **(* * *)**

 **So here it is – we're back to the Mai High festival, but this time Keima and Ayumi can enjoy the festival in peace (I wonder how much Keima is enjoying it anyway :P). I know that the third years are not supposed to have it that easy, but I don't care. And I've given you maid Ayumi as promised. :)**

 **And originally, for the beauty contest I wanted to have Kanon (** ** **angel outfit,** 1st place thanks to her fans), Urara (2nd place) and Eri (3rd place), but then I realized that the contest is supposed to have only one girl from each class (although I surmise there's about 20–25 girls and only around 5–7 boys per class). So, I decided to replace Kanon with Urara, and Urara with Tsukiyo. From the hindsight, I'm glad I put Urara in 2-C (now 3-C), as opposed to Keima's or Tsukiyo's class. Just sayin'.**

 **We're slowly getting to the end of this story, but the next chapter definitely won't be the last one, as there are still some important things to address. Unfortunately, I don't know when I'll manage to post the next chapter. Hopefully, it will be out before 10th of March.**

 **And don't forget to drop me a review! Reviews keep me going!** ** **Tell me what you think about this chapter!** Favorites and follows would be nice as well! :)  
**

 **See you next time!**


	18. Flag 38: Meet my boyfriend

**Hello, everyone!**

 **I'm here with the eighteenth chapter of AyumiNomi! I really wanted to post it earlier, but the last few weeks were rather tough when it came to writing time... but this chapter is really long, it's the second longest chapter of AyumiNomi so far (after Flag 38).**

 **Anyway, I had real trouble putting this chapter together, so it be ready for today and I'm kinda tired, so I'll keep the announcements to minimum.**

 **First, with this chapter we've reached over 100 thousand words on this story (only with authors notes included though)! Second, as usual I would like to thank you for your continuous support: views, favorites, follows and reviews. Thank you very much!**

 **Here are the replies to the latest reviews:**

To **Gonzalorp94** : Thank you very much. And Keima asking for Ayumi's hand? I don't really think that's going to happen like that. Remember that it was Ayumi who asked Keima to marry. She's probably going to try someday, but I'm somehow not sure about Keima's answer.

To **YasuoZed** and **Guest** (unless they're the same person): I've given some thought to that even before you asked, as the order of stories is a serious issue. I haven't reached a final decision yet though.

To **ZelgadisGW** : yeah, I'm not sure how Eri would look as a firewoman too... so why don't you just try and draw her for us? :P As for maids, nurses and gothica lolitas... I agree. :)

To **DPSS** : Well, as lovey-dovey as it gets with Keima, I guess. And once again, wedding is not a simple matter with him. What with all his conditions like "a kiss in a church with the words 'happy end' behind it'?"

To **Shawn Raven** : Thank you very much for your reviews, they are always so detailed. :) As for Tenri... I mostly like seeing girls with their hair down, but with Tenri it's kinda hard to imagine. I like her without her ribbons when her braids fall loosely... but I associate that look with Diana. And it's not just with Tenri. I have also problems getting used to Mio with her hair down (I assume she would look similar to how the "other" Mio is portrayed in "chapter 0"). And Tenri is going to a different school, so she can't be in a pageant in the festival if that's what you were implying. :) Well, Urara is a third year and eighteen too, so I'm not sure you count as a senpai to her. But I get what you're saying... I've been feeling weak all day and I might need to visit the Shiratori nurse office as well. ;) And I had so many things on my mind lately that I had to re-read the previous chapter to understand what you meant about jokes with Eri. Anyway, you're welcome. :) So you were that guest, huh? And no, that's not silly, but it would be nice if you could write you name at the end of the review if your reviewing without logging in. Just sayin'. And I do hope you'll enjoy YuiNomi once we reach it.

To **Hikigaya** : Exactly my point, but the last festival was too important to not reference it this time. Sorry about Kanon not appearing, but it's not easy to introduce her just like that in such a big event and have it flow smoothly. It I had more time...

 **Okay, that's all the replies. Onto the chapter!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(* * *)**

"You really like to eat, don't you."

Ayumi stopped practically inhaling her tonkotsu tomato rāmen and looked up at the girl with a ponytail smiling lightly.

"Well, I have a pretty active lifestyle, you know?"

"I've noticed" the girl replied, before her smile widened. "But I meant you like to eat even when you don't have to."

"Yes, and I'm going to eat your serving as well if you don't hurry."

"I'll try to not to tarry then" the girl said and grabbed her own chopsticks and started eating. Ayumi was almost done with her bowl so she used this moment to observe the girl.

The girl's name was Ayase and she was a student at Narusawa University of Education (abbreviated NUE) with major in sports coaching, just like Ayumi. The girl was basically Ayumi's best friend at university, so the two of them often ate lunch together during breaks between lectures.

Ayumi had been surprised when she found out that the NUE was not just educating future teachers, but also various guides, trainers and coaches. Maybe this was why the university put so much emphasis on sport clubs and physical education. No wonder Nagase-sensei was so into sports. Ayumi was also happy, because she could study about sports and being a coach while also continue her running career. And she didn't even have to move out of town and rent a flat, as Narusawa was a stone's throw away from Maijima.

Yes, passing the final exams in high school had been a challenge. And university wasn't exactly easy either, but she had managed it just fine so far. Well, it was partially thanks to Keima.

"Aww!" Ayase's cooing voice brought her back to reality. "Thinking about your boyfriend again, aren't you?"

"W-what? No, I'm not!" Ayumi rebutted before sighing in defeat. "How come people always know?"

"Well, maybe it's because of that remote look in your eyes?" Ayase wondered. "I mean, just now you were looking at me and you didn't notice me waving my hand in front of your face" the girl then smiled. "Besides, you thinking about him is the only thing that would stop you from finishing your food."

Ayumi looked down and indeed – her rāmen was still there, while Ayase's bowl was already empty.

She really needed to work on this daydreaming thing...

"Thinking about it" Ayase put her finger to her mouth and Ayumi smiled when the gesture reminded her of Miyako. "I don't think I ever heard you talk about your boyfriend... I mean like really talk about him."

Ayumi sighed. She and Keima had figured a lot of things out, but there were some issues that were hard to deal with. This mainly meant all the trying to hide all the paranormal stuff that had happened in their lives before. This became complicated considering all the people Ayumi knew.

There were all involved people Ayumi was close to (like Chihiro, Mel, Eri, Yui, Kanon and so on). Then there were other Keima's past conquest and other involved people (like Nikaidō, the devils and the goddesses). Then there was her family. And Keima's family. And her friends from high school, her friends from before high school and now there were even friends from university like Ayase.

Ayumi was pretty certain one day she was going to say wrong thing to the wrong person in her confusion...

"It's not like I didn't tell you about him before" she replied matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, but the way you said things about him, you made it sound as if he was a loner not interested in anything outside of his games. And a jerk."

"Well, that's not exactly wrong..."

"I don't buy it" Ayase said, not deterred in the slightest. "What you say about him obviously doesn't agree with how much you seem to be in love with him."

Ayumi didn't deny – she had seen enough people teasing her every time she tried to do it.

"Okay" she relented. "What do you want to know?"

"Is he studying as well?" Ayase asked.

"He kinda is" Ayumi replied. "University of Electro-Communications, Chōfu city, Tōkyō."

Ayase blinked. "He's studying at Tōkyō?" she asked in surprise. "You were saying he's at Maijima! And what do you mean by 'kinda'?"

"Well, he _is_ studying at Tōkyō university... he's just doing it from Maijima" Ayumi explained.

"Is that even possible?" Ayase asked.

"Apparently yes, but it's probably unique to Keima... I mean he has 'individual university program' and pretty packed one too."

"And he managed to reach a second year?"

"Actually, he's a third year now..."

Ayase was quiet for a moment.

"You and your boyfriend were in the same class in high school, right?" she started and Ayumi nodded. "So he's the same age as you?"

"Yeah" Ayumi replied. "Actually, I'm a month older than him."

"And you're a second year right now" Ayase stated, not asked.

"Yes."

"So... your boyfriend should be a second year as well..."

"Not when you're talking about a genius with crazy ability to multi-task and the skills to separate what's necessary from what's irrelevant while studying."

"You mean he skipped a year on his own individual study program?"

"Yep" Ayumi replied, unable to stop pride from showing in her voice. "He's actually preparing his thesis."

"Then he's going to graduate university before you!" Ayase noticed with a tint of teasing in her voice.

"Not really" Ayumi smiled back. "He's planning to do a second program at different university as soon as he's done with this one. Something about business or management."

"Any more questions?" Ayumi prompted after a few moments of silence. If she thought that Ayase would be speechless, then she was wrong.

"How the two of you met?"

And that was exactly what made talks like that troublesome... how should she answer that?

"I guess we first met in elementary school..."

"Ooh! So it's a 'childhood friends' kind of thing?"

"Not really, it was nothing back then and both of us practically forgot about it" Ayumi said with an ironic smile. "And we weren't friends back then. Actually... you could say our first important meeting was when I dumped my rooftop cleaning duty on him."

"Seriously?" Ayase asked half-scolding, but she was obviously enjoying the story. "Were you trying to get his attention that way?"

Ayumi couldn't stop herself from laughing. "Of course not! To tell you the truth I thought he was a weirdest weirdo of our school back then. He was even called 'otamegane'".

"Did you call him that as well?" Ayase asked. Ayumi didn't say anything, but her averted gaze and flushed face told the girl what she wanted to know. "So... who confessed first?"

Ayumi should have expected the questions won't be getting any easier. Does she mention Keima telling her she was "first place in his heart"? Her proposing to him? Her confessing after that meet in the third year of high school? Him asking her out because of that jerk Minamoto? Or...

"That's complicated..." she replied. Ayase didn't say anything, looking expectantly at her. "I guess, I did."

"You guess?" Ayase repeated, looking confused.

"I told you – it's complicated..."

"Hm... that's interesting" Ayase closer her eyes and smiled before continuing. "Is there any chance you could bring him sometime?"

"Huh? You want to meet him?" Ayumi did not expect _that_.

"Yeah. I'm curious about him. And I promise it's just that. I have a boyfriend as well" Ayase replied. "So, what do you say?"

(* * *)

A few hours and two lectures later Ayumi got on the train heading back towards Maijima. She sat down on one of the empty seats and pulled a PFP out of her bag. Sadly, it wasn't the pink console she got from Keima on her eighteen birthday, as Ayumi accidentally broke it – it seemed some games didn't exactly pair well with her strength and her ability to get angered quickly. After that Keima just let her have two of his old consoles. It wasn't a problem – after Nikaidō returned Keima's consoles she confiscated back to him he had tens to spare and now that he was a university student he didn't even need more that a few, so he was actually trying to give some of the consoles away.

But aside from that one incident Ayumi pretty much enjoyed gaming. And it wasn't as if she was addicted to it or too seriously into it. It was just a good way to relieve some stress and it was actually the thing that stopped her habits of running through hallways and kicking people.

And it did help pass the time during some more boring lectures.

Ayumi just got off the train when her phone started to ring. She pulled the phone out of her bag and looked at the screen to see who was calling her and blinked in surprise.

What would Tenri need from her right now?

"Moshi moshi, Ayumi desu~" she said as she answered the call.

"Hello, Ayumi-san" the gentle voice of the other goddess hosts responded from the other end of the line.

"What's up?" Ayumi replied and immediately after that she grinned. "How are things with you and Kimura-kun?"

"H-huh?" Tenri asked back, sounding surprised. "W-what do you mean by that?"

"Oh, c'mon... we all know that he confessed to you two weeks ago and you didn't exactly reject him" Ayumi announced in a teasing voice.

"H-how do you know that?"

"From Keima of course."

"Ah... Keima-kun's is why I'm actually calling" Tenri suddenly stopped her stuttering and giggled.

Ayumi rose her eyebrow in confusion. "Do explain."

"There has been a release of a game two days ago" Tenri started. "Keima-kun desperately wanted to buy that one."

"Yeah, I know that" Ayumi replied. "What about it?"

"And he had been camping in front of the store" Tenri continued as if she didn't hear her.

"I know that too."

"And" Tenri interrupted her. "It had been raining those few past days."

"What does that-"

"And" Tenri interrupted her, voiced tinted with... amusement? "Keima-kun seems to have caught a cold.

Ayumi blinked. What was so amusing about that?

"I still don't get it."

"His mother is out, hanging out with my mother" Tenri continued. "And I got Eri out of the house as well."

"You mean that-"

"Keima-kun is going to be alone for a few hours" Tenri confirmed. "Unless you do something about it."

Ayumi wanted to say she didn't understood what the other girl was implying. But she did.

"Have fun you two."

"Um... thanks, I guess."

Tenri's only response after that was another giggle and then the connection ended. Ayumi continued to look at the phone's screen, thinking.

Now, what was she going to do about that?

(* * *)

Keima was lying in his bed, headphones on his head and his trusty PFP in his hands. The nightstand next to him was littered with tissues. Keima was in the middle of conquering two heroines at the same time when he thought he heard something.

He took his headphones off and stayed quiet. He was listening for a moment, but could not hear anything more. He was just about to return to his gaming when he definitely hear someone moving about outside of his room.

"Eri?" he asked. "Are you back already?"

In response, the door to his room opened and in came his girlfriend, her back turned to him for some reason.

"Ayumi?" he questioned, not sure he was seeing right.

"Hi" she replied.

"How did you get in?"

"Well, I borrowed a bit of power from heaven!"

"You mean you teleported inside or just broke in?" he asked, but he forgot about the answer when Ayumi turned around. She was carrying a tray with two glasses and a jug full of water. She was smiling in a gentle way that immediately made him relax.

And most important of all, she was wearing her old high school uniform.

"I heard you caught I cold" she told him.

"Heard?" Keima repeated. "And what exactly did you hear?"

"Let's just say they were the whispers on the wind, shall we?" Ayumi said, putting the tray on the floor.

"And that wind is named 'Tenri', isn't it?"

"Perhaps" she replied. "But I have a better question. Why didn't you call me and told me you have a cold?"

"It's nothing serious" Keima replied and paused before continuing. "Besides... I didn't want to bother you."

"Bother me?"

"Taking care of a sick person is not exactly the best way to spend the day, right?"

"You should know I don't mind taking care of you. Here" she passed him a glass of water. "And try not to spill it this time" she warned him playfully. "You know, you don't seem to happy with this cold."

Keima stopping drinking to look at her. "You expected me to be _happy_ about having a cold?"

"I know you always used being sick as an excuse to play games..."

"In high school yes, but right now being sick only interferes with my gaming and studies, so I wanted to stay in bed for today and get rid of this cold as soon as possible" he explained. "And it works, I feel the worst is behind me."

"That good. That way we won't need to call Apollo" she said, before tilting her head. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.

"What with the clothes?" Keima asked back, eyeing her from head to toes, although he pretty much figured the answer.

"And here I thought you were going to appreciate me dressing like that... you know, the schoolgirl fetish kinda thing."

"Yes, I appreciate it and no, I don't have a schoolgirl fetish" he paused for a moment. "You know you could've worn your running clothes?" he said.

"You mean the shoes, shirt and shorts you bought me?"

"No, I mean the shoes, shirt and _bloomers_ I bought you."

"W-well, I was going for _nostalgic_ kind of look, so that would defeat the purpose" she replied with a blush. "So you do have a running clothes fetish, huh?"

"No, I don't!" Keima half-shouted, visibly flushed. "And about this being nostalgic... should I expect Chihiro coming in here any second?"

"No" she replied. "Unless, there's something you're not telling me."

"Then I guess you won't be coming under the covers as well" he said with a noticeable disappointment in his voice.

"You want me to do _that_?" she asked flabbergasted.

"I didn't say I wanted you to do it..."

"But you do" Ayumi guessed before narrowing her eyes. "You're sick, you know?" she accused.

"I wouldn't go as far as calling me sick" he defended.

"I meant that you have a cold and I might catch it, you idiot!" she clarified with a blush.

"Is that so?" he said seemingly mind-absently before speaking up. "But as I said, the worst is behind me."

"I still might catch it."

"Yeah... but you weren't concerned with catching my cold when you were nursing me to health last time" he reminded her.

Ayumi furrowed her brow "But you're all sweaty."

He chuckled. "Last time you were the one all sweaty" he noticed.

"Like that bothered you... especially with my shirt being see-through" she accused blushing.

"I didn't want to see it back then, even though it was good for the conquest" he defended. "And you elbowed me in the ribs full-force even though I _really_ thought Chihiro came just to see Eri!"

"Yeah... I'm sorry about that" Ayumi said, truly feeling guilty about that one. "But you called me a blanket back then! I'm more than a futon, you know?"

"Of course you are" Keima admitted turning his head away. "I prefer you here with me than any futon any day."

Ayumi didn't reply, glad that Keima wasn't looking at her. After a moment she stood up and turned around.

"Where are you going?" Keima asked when he noticed her about to walk out of the room.

"You're all sweaty" Ayumi reminded him. "We need to do something about that."

"Like what?"

"I'm going to prepare a bath..."

(* * *)

"Okay, now it's a bed for you, mister" Ayumi told Keima as soon as they were back in his room.

"Why?" Keima asked, his hair still slightly wet. "I feel much better now."

"As true as that might be you should really lie down right now" Ayumi insisted.

"You know, you are pretty nice, kind and motherly figure when you don't get angry with me..."

"And that _almost_ sounded as a compliment" she teased as she poured herself a glass of juice. "Speaking about compliments... you know we haven't been on a real date for a while?"

"Aah... that's true" Keima admitted. "Well, I didn't have much time those few past days..."

"Because you were busy with studies, gaming, camping in front of a store and not telling me you caught a cold?" Ayumi asked.

"Well... it's not just that" Keima said, catching her attention. "Actually, I was busy with Yui those past few days."

Ayumi spurted her juice.

"W-what?" she asked once she was done coughing. "What do you mean you were _busy_ with her?"

Keima scrutinized Ayumi for a bit. "How come real girls always jump to groundless conclusions like that?"

"It's not exactly groundless" Ayumi countered, while wiping the floor with a tissue. "And I'm not jumping to conclusions. I'm just asking what's going on! You said Yui gave up on you!"

"She did" Keima confirmed. "And that's exactly where the problem started."

"Huh?"

"Yui needs a matchmaker."

Ayumi was quiet for a moment. "Do explain."

Keima sighed. "You know that despite cross-dressing, acting independently and arguing with her mother, Yui is still the beloved younger daughter of the Goidō family?" Keima waited for Ayumi to nod before continuing. "That means that Yui being in a relationship would be a serious matter."

"Wait, you mean that Yui has some... suitor and her mom wants her to meet him?"

"Not exactly" Keima grabbed a PFP from his nightstand and turned it on. "It's the other way around... as in Yui has a guy she likes..."

Good news? Ayumi didn't spurt her drink this time.

" _Yui_ has a _guy_ she actually _likes_ " she asked, emphasizing all the important points and Keima nodded. "And that guy is not _you_?" another nod. "Oookaaay... what does that have to do with you then?"

"As I said, Yui needs a matchmaker" he repeated while clicking through his game. "She basically wants me to help her conquer the guy and convince her family that he will be a good son-in-law..."

"...and all that while Yui stays her masculine and cross-dressing self?"

"Well, I'm sure I could help Yui with her being... like that" Keima admitted. "But I think this is a good opportunity to try and make her a little less... aggressive."

"Is that so?" Ayumi asked. Her calm voice made Keima look at her.

"Are you angry?"

"No" she shook her head in thought. "Actually" she looked at up him. "I was thinking about helping you."

It was some time since she had managed to make Keima speechless.

"You want to help me?" this time the roles were reversed – he was asking and she was nodding. "While I help Yui conquer another guy?"

"Yeah..." Ayumi replied with a small blush. "And why not? It could be fun and I'm sure I won't be more of a burden then Eri."

"And you won't have a hagoromo to help me either" Keima told her. "But I see your point. I don't mind you tagging along. It's always better to have someone between Yui and me just in case."

Ayumi smiled at him before she remembered something. "Ooh... that's right... you remember Ayase?"

Keima was silent for a second. "Your friend at university, the one from Nagumo town?"

"The very one."

"What about her?"

"She wants to meet you."

That actually surprised Keima. "Why?"

"She's just curious, I guess" Ayumi replied. "And it would definitely be easier to tell the story with you around."

"What did you tell her about me?"

"Just some general things" Ayumi replied. "You know, about you loving games, hating the real, being snarky and cold-"

"I'm not trying to be snarky or cold" Keima interrupted her. "At least most of the time."

"Okay, so I told her you're being snarky and cold without really trying."

"And let me guess – your friend is curious how you can be in love with such a guy?"

"Something like that" Ayumi confirmed. "So... are you up to it?"

Keima sighed "I'm not looking forward to this, but it's got to be done and we better do it quickly, before your friend assumes god knows what..."

"Right" Ayumi agreed. "How about Tuesday next week at Dezeni Sea?"

Keima looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Why are you being so... specific?"

Ayumi averted her gaze "Well, Ayase assumed you'll agree, so she suggested we met there at Tuesday... so what do you think?"

Keima remained quiet for a longer while. He could be thinking about plans for conversations with Ayase. And he probably did. But Ayumi had a feeling it wasn't as simple as that. Well, that was why she was going to leave all the planning to Keima.

(* * *)

"It's 10 past noon. And I'm sure I told her to be here at noon" Ayumi said while folding back her phone. Her and Keima were sitting on one of the benches in Dezeni Sea, waiting for Ayase. Ayumi was wearing a light green blouse and a matching skirt. "And she's not answering my calls."

"Probably didn't take her phone with her" Keima replied. His expression seemed neutral, but Ayumi knew he was bored out of his mind.

"Didn't you bring your PFP with you?" she asked.

"I did, but I didn't bring spare batteries with me."

"Why? Did you forget to bring them?"

"No, I just don't bring them for dates" he clarified. "I thought you noticed."

"I did notice. Even if it's a little surprising" Ayumi told him.

"What's so surprising about it?"

"I mean why are you being so considerate?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Keima asked back before turning to look at her. "It's because I love you."

That wasn't the first time he had said he loved her. And it wasn't the first time it took her completely by surprise.

"D-don't say it out of the blue" she shot back weakly, her face the color of a ripe cherry.

"Why?" he questioned and grabbed her hand, getting closer to her, his other hand brushing her hair out of her face. "I wanted to say that I love you, so I said it."

"No fair!" she complained, trying with all her might to stop herself from melting, but to no avail. His face was near hers, their eyes closing, their lips already parted and...

"Hey!"

Ayumi pushed Keima off her out of reflex, her face aflame, and turned around to see Ayase smiling at her.

"Hi!" the other girl greeted her. "Sorry for being late, my bus was late and I couldn't call you because I kinda forgot my phone" she then turned to Keima. "Oh, you must be Katsuragi-kun, right? Nice to meet you!" she then shook Keima's hand, not noticing or ignoring the slight glare he was sending her direction.

Ayumi only chuckled before saying. "Okay, how about we get going?"

(* * *)

The three of them started to visit various attractions in the park and both quickly got into it, which resulted in Keima being dragged around by two energetic and cheery girls for two hours. Throughout all that Keima seemed a little off, but that was to be expected – Ayase was actually the first girl outside of his past conquest that he had to actively interact with and she was pretty much a stranger to him. The fact that she was the social butterfly type didn't help the situation at all.

And after that it was the roller-coaster and Ayumi was reminded that Keima really wasn't good with vehicles moving that fast for that long.

"That was a fun ride, don't you think" Ayase asked ten minutes later while the threw of them were resting at one of the outdoor cafés.

Ayumi nodded and Keima grunted something in reply, while clicking through his game, probably to relieve the stress after that ride. He also wasn't eating anything, probably still feeling a little queasy. Ayase didn't seem to mind his behavior though.

"He really is like you said" the girl said to Ayumi, before turning to Keima. "So, what are you planning to do after your graduate university, Katsuragi-kun? Become a game developer and help create games?"

"More like become a help design games" Keima responded without really looking at Ayase. "Write game scenarios. Test games. Maybe become a producer."

"And you want to study management for that, right?" Ayase asked with a smile. Keima just nodded. "So do you want to start your own company?"

"Yes" he replied. "But for starters I thought about working in one galge company here in Narusawa."

"Level Eye, right?" Ayase asked, surprising Keima.

"You know about it?"

"Yeah, they're really successful" Ayase said. "Don't you like... need a lot of work experience in your CV for them to consider you working for them?"

"Well, Keima is actually pretty famous in the galge society" Ayumi said, not believing that she felt _proud_ of him. "But Ayase has a point. Maybe you should start from something else?"

"Yeah" Ayase chimed in. "It's common for students to work, so maybe you should try doing that."

Surprisingly, Keima remained quiet for a moment. He looked pretty normal, but Ayumi could sense he was using his poker face.

"Actually, I am kinda working part-time from home" his voice brought the girls' attention back to him. "Helping to test games."

"What?" Ayumi asked surprised. "Why didn't you tell me anything about it?"

"It's not much different from my blog" Keima defended. "Except I'm being paid for doing that."

"I thought you were buying less games now than back in the day" Ayumi said. She wasn't angry or anything. She was just surprised. "Did your M funds got reduced or something?"

"It's not that..." he started quietly and the rest was just a incomprehensible mumble.

"What was that?" Ayumi got closer.

"I was just thinking of sustaining myself with my own skill... or at least start saving up money."

"That's very commendable!" Ayase praised before Ayumi could say anything more. "Now, how about you tell me how the two of you got together?"

(* * *)

After half and hour of talking (and Keima skilfully navigating throughout some of the facts of his and Ayumi's life) Ayase left to find a bathroom, while Keima and Ayumi found themselves on a bench once again.

"Why didn't you tell me about you working part-time?" Ayumi asked, but Keima didn't reply, clicking through his game. "C'mon, I'm not angry at you. I just want to know."

"It's nothing much" he replied. "It's just that if I there ever were unforeseen expenses I could always ask mom and dad. But I think I've leeched off my parents long enough."

"T-that's very mature of you" Ayumi said, moved. "But I'm still upset you didn't tell me about it!"

Keima sighed. "How do I make it up to you?"

Ayumi was prepared for that question. "How about we go in there?" she pointed to one of the attractions.

It was one that Keima has never really seen before. It was a building painted in light colors, especially pink, and the entrance was decorated with a red heart and a sign saying "Love Route". Keima immediately knew he won't like that attraction – it reeked of the real world and its illogical love idiosyncrasies. Addition of the world "route" didn't help things. But there was really no reason to refuse, except...

"What about Ayase?" he asked.

"No problem, I'm just going to go tell her to wait for us, she won't mind."

Once Ayase was back, Ayumi told her that she wanted to try the Love Route with Keima and Ayase responded with a cheerful "then have fun you two, I'll grab myself some grub in the meantime", while tossing Keima a glance full of amusement.

"Okay then, here we go!" Ayumi shouted and pushed Keima towards the Love Route.

(* * *)

"It's that really so interesting?" Keima asked half-way through their walk through the increasingly pink corridors. The inside actually consisted of many rooms where couples could perform various couple-like activities, including eating (sweet) ice creams together, taking embarrassing pictures and so on. It was like a small love festival, but Keima didn't really like it. Even the arcade and the shooting rooms where guys were supposed to win prizes weren't up to his expectations – the machines were jamming and the shooting was far too easy, clearly meant to provide proud for guys and girly squeals for girls.

"Of course it is" Ayumi replied. "Doesn't your heart beat faster in here?"

"Only because you are here" Keima replied. A romantic music was constantly playing from the speakers and there was even a girly fragrance in the air, not very strong, but definitely noticeable. In reality it was attraction mostly for girls, guys just had to get through it.

"Oh, don't be such a spoilsport" Ayumi complained, but she was actually having too much fun to really care. "Can't you just pretend you like it?"

"You want me to lie to you?" he asked.

"Well, I'm asking for it, so it's not a lie" she noticed. "C'mon, I know you can do it. Or is that the limit of the God of Conquest?"

Keima knew she was playing him, but he decided to just go along with it.

"Underestimating me, aren't you?" he narrowed his eyes. "Well, you asked for it."

The last part was a walk through a fairy-like tunnel which then turned into a heavenly scenery. Keima kept his word and acted like a love-struck teenager would, even though they neither of them was a teenager anymore. And Ayumi pretty much enjoyed it.

It was only once they were getting close to the main ending of the Love Route where Keima dropped his act and furrowed his eyebrow.

"Do you smell that?" he asked, his voice serious. Ayumi looked at him, confused. Then he sniffed and realized what he meant.

"Smoke?" she asked no-one in particular. Keima nodded. "Where could it come from?"

The answer stared them right in the face once they turned the corner. In front of them there was the last corridor, but it was completely blocked by rubble, which seemed to come from the ceiling. And the corridor was on fire – the flames were licking the walls while crackling all the time.

And it certainly wasn't a part of the Love Route.

"W-what?" Ayumi exclaimed in surprise. "What's going on here?"

"We can't go through here!" Keima told her. "We need to get back."

Ayumi agreed wholeheartedly. The two of them turned around and started to run in the opposite direction than the fire, hoping that the other way wasn't blocked.

It wasn't. But it wasn't completely clean either – they had to walk through one chamber half-filled with flames. And the smoke was now pretty visible and it was thick and acrid. Truth be told, Ayumi lost her sense of direction and was depending on Keima to lead them out of here.

And for some reason, Mercury wasn't responding.

Then, when Ayumi started to think that they can not get out of there she saw the exist and then she felt fresh air in her lungs.

They were outside. Outside, unharmed and alive.

They passed through a pair of fireman heading to the attraction and continued to run away from the smoke.

"That was dangerous" Ayumi said once they stopped a little distance of the attraction. She was panting as if she has just run a marathon. Ayumi wasn't really expecting Keima to answer, but the silence seemed strange, so she looked up at him and then she was that Keima wasn't really looking at her. His gaze was focused on the burning attraction and he seemed in deep thought. And not just thinking... he was looking kinda upset, his eyes narrowed, his brow furrowed and he was bitting his lips, as if unable to reach a clear conclusion or solve some difficult problem.

Ayumi looked at it the burning Love Route as well, trying to figure what Keima was doing, but the only thing she noticed was the fact the there was no crowd of curious people around and that the fireman they passed were nowhere to be seen. Were they searching for people inside?

And then she hear Keima speak.

"Ayumi."

"Yes?" she turned to face him and it seemed as if his eyes were boring into her soul.

"Was that dramatic?"

"W-what?" how come she always stuttered when he was looking at her like that?

"Was that" Keima repeated, pointing at the burning building. "A dramatic situation?"

"It was dangerous and all" Ayumi replied after giving it some thought. "So yeah, that was pretty dramatic in my book... why?"

Keima didn't reply immediately, inspecting the situation further. Ayumi didn't know what he was trying to see.

"Dangerous you say, huh?" he muttered and his voice sounded strange, as if he wasn't convinced, but Ayumi didn't understand what he meant. "So that is the limit of what the real can do? *sigh* I guess it can't be helped then."

He turned back and walked closer to Ayumi. If the girl wanted to say anything then that thought flew out of the window as soon as she heard him speak again.

"Ayumi."

That single word rooted the girl to the spot and she froze, not even able to close or fully open her mouth, let alone respond.

"It is just as I said before" Keima started, his eyes focused on hers. "To me you are the first heroine and the final heroine... And I want to pursue an ending with you."

Ayumi was moving her lips, but no words came out. She wasn't even sure what she wanted to say.

"Ayumi Takahara" Keima continued and she realized she must've lost her senses for a moment, because she didn't remember Keima getting on his knee and presenting her a blue box.

And the box was opened and inside there was a ring.

"Will you marry me?"

Ayumi felt as if dreaming and she could swear she could see the entire situation from the sidelines. A myriad of thoughts started to fly through her mind in various directions. For a moment she thought she was going to go crazy and do something stupid, but then her eyes locked with Keima's and her head cleared.

And just like that she knew what to do.

"Understood" she replied, just as he did years ago. "But... I have conditions."

If Keima was surprised by this answer then he didn't let it show.

"I'm listening."

"First, I get to choose where we're getting married. Second, I get to decide who to invite for the wedding party. And third, I'm not going to stay at home all day and clean the house and ready your dinner everyday. Are you ready to accept those conditions?"

"I am" Keima replied without hesitation. "So does that-"

"YES!" she shouted and pounced on him, knocking him to the ground. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

Keima was thinking about stopping her, but then Ayumi smashed her lips to his and he groaned at how forceful it was. Well, she always acted like that when she was in her 'genki girl' mode. He decided to just let it slide and let Ayumi have her moment for as long as she wanted.

"Hehehe, sorry about that. I kinda got carried away" she said as soon as she was done kissing him. Her face was flushed and she was giggling, radiating with happiness. Keima couldn't remember ever seeing her this happy and... well, giddy. Ever. She was even more bubbly than Eri.

At least his concern about the wings of a goddess appearing in public was groundless.

Keima has just finished putting the ring on Ayumi's finger when...

"Kyaaa!"

...a squeal brought the two of them back to reality. Both of them realized they were still in Dezeni Sea and there were people around them looking at them with various expressions, ranging from shock to admiration. But it wasn't them who squealed.

It was Ayase.

"Was that for real!?" the girl asked loudly when she walked up to the, the drink she dropped to the ground completely forgotten, and continued without waiting for answer. "Oh my god, that was so romantic! I wish I could've heard all of it!" she then leaped next to Ayumi and hugged her tightly. "I'm so happy for you Ayumi!"

"Y-yeah..." the runner replied in shock.

Ayase then let her go, turned to Keima, grabbed his head and proceeded to shake it enthusiastically while saying things like "Congratulations!" and "You did a good job!"

Finally, she stepped back, and smiled before asking:

"Can I be the bridesmaid?"

(* * *)

Ayumi and Keima were walking back to the train station, holding hands.

"So that's what this 'working part-time' and 'saving up money' was for, huh?" Ayumi asked, while looking at the ring on her finger, as if afraid it was going to disappear if she took her eyes off it ever for a instant. "Chihiro won't be too happy about this though."

"About what?" Keima asked.

"About the bridesmaid thing... I bet Chihiro wanted to be the bridesmaid."

"You didn't agree to Ayase's request yet, so there's nothing to worry about" Keima noticed. "And Chihiro is your childhood friend. I'm sure Ayase will understand."

"Thinking about it... I wonder how Chihiro will react to the news" Ayumi wondered.

"I'm more worried about you father..."

"What are you talking about?" she asked. "Aren't you and my dad on good terms now?"

"Somehow I don't think it's that simple."

"It'll be fine" she assured him. "Besides... I'm a university student now and I've come of age. Dad cannot stop me from marrying you~" she finished in a sing-song voice.

"I didn't think you were going to be this _happy_ about it."

"That's my line" she replied. "I thought you'll be all upset about my conditions."

"Why would I?" Keima asked back.

"Well, the first time you... proposed, you were spouting all those "marry condition" thing."

"Yeah, I did. What about it?"

"Well, you're going to marry me without those conditions" she reminded him.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. "The requirements for a marriage ending were all met."

Ayumi looked at him in surprise. Keima sighed and pushed up his glasses.

"First, it has to be destined since childhood and us getting so far is because of the goddesses and that you'll have Mercury was decided since childhood, wasn't it?" he asked and continued without waiting for response. "Second, the proposal has to be in a dramatic situation" he paused for a moment. "Well, it was just an illusion, but I guess there's no point in expecting anything more from the real."

"What do you mean an illusion?" Ayumi asked.

Keima sighed. "Did you see people other than us running out from the fire? Did you hear anyone screaming? Did you see people crowding outside? Did you have trouble breathing once outside? Are our clothes even sooty?"

Ayumi examined her clothes, but Keima was right – it was as if there was no fire at all.

"And finally" Keima continued. "Did you ever see this "Love Route" attraction before? Even the name sounded suspicious."

"You mean all of that wasn't real?" she asked, before realizing something. "Wait... you _planned_ it?"

"No" Keima replied. "It wouldn't be dramatic if I had" then he looked above Ayumi's head. "But I think I know who had planned it."

If Ayumi were to turn around right now she would be able to notice a figure with purple-colored hair sitting on top of a nearby lantern before it vanished moment later.

"I can't believe it!" Ayumi said, holding her head in her hands. "But that's not all! There was the third condition" she reminded him. "The one when we have to get married in a church with a 'happy end' behind us. That's not going to happen, because I want us to get married on Akanemaru!" Ayumi argued.

"Well, the church is a default setting, but if a couple has a specific history then the venue might change. In our case..."

"It's the Akanemaru..." Ayumi finished.

Keima nodded. "And as for the 'happy end' sign... I'm sure our heavenly and infernal friends can do something about it."

"And about me deciding the guests..." Ayumi started.

"Well, I'm not really comfortable with a big part" Keima replied. "But I guess there's no way that I could stop people from attending anyway, so the end result will be the same whether you do it or not."

Ayumi was speechless. Keima has basically got everything he wanted out of it. Well, almost everything.

"But I'm still not going to pick your socks for you once we're married, you know?"

Keima snorted. "You think a God of Conquest expects his heroine to do that? I'm offended."

"You're impossible" she said while shaking her head, but she was smiling. "So... how are we going to celebrate you finally popping the question?"

"Finally?" he repeated with a smirk. "Admit it, you didn't think I was going to propose anytime soon."

"W-what makes you think that?" she asked, but she know she wasn't fooling Keima as she saw him smile at her slyly. And she could feel Mercury's going "fufufu" at the back of her mind. So the goddess was awake the entire time and was just able to see through that fire illusion earlier?

Tsk... smartasses, but she wasn't done yes, she thought as she grabbed Keima's arm.

"Okay, enough chit-chat" she told him in a serious voice. "You're now coming with me to tell my parents the good news, Mr. Katsuragi."

"Have it you way, Mrs. Katsuragi" he teased her.

"It's Miss Takahara for now, darling" she corrected him and started to drag him in the direction of the station.

Keima didn't resist.

 **(* * *)**

 **So... we have a lot of things happening here. Ayumi and Keima in university. The curious girl Ayase. Then we learn Tenri has a boyfriend (probably). And then there's the "sick visit event" with Ayumi remastered. Then there's the bath – always a good way to get rid of all that sweat. And then we learn that Yui needs a matchmaker!  
**

 **And then there's a date at Dezeni Sea. Keima tells the girls he has a part-time job. And there's the fire!**

 **And then Keima pops the question! Finally! And yes... this was kinda planned for weeks (especially the thing with Akanemaru)!**

 **The Love Route was designed at a last moment's notice though...  
**

 **Man, it was difficult to write this chapter, so all things would fit together. Actually, there are probably some loopholes somewhere... probably...  
**

 **As usual, I would like to know what you're thinking about this chapter! Don't hesitate to drop me a review! They really keep me going!**

 **As you can see, we're nearing the end of the story. To tell the truth, I'm not exactly sure where the story will end as it's connected to the next one... but I do know that I'll need time to make sure that the general loopholes are taken care of and that the next two chapters contain all the important details.**

 **Just be patient with me.**

 **Oh... and the Urahara reference is brought to you by Bleach and by ZelgadisGW. Thank you for the idea, bro!**

 **Whew... that's all for today.**

 **See you next time!**


	19. Flag 39: Wedding bells

**Hello, I'm back!**

 **Did you have a happy Easter time? I hope you did. Anyway, I'm here with newest chapter of The World Ayumi Only Knows!**

 **Well, truth be told I wanted to post this chapter on Sunday, but I couldn't do it in time. I'm very, very sorry for that...**

 **...especially since I've got so many reviews for the last chapter. Seriously, there were 12 reviews for a single chapter! You guy are wonderful! I can't thank you enough! Here are the replies:**

 **Chiufan95:** Well, if you love a fic, then reviewing it just to say you love it is fine. :) I'm glad you decided to review anyway and I'm glad you like it. And as for Kanon... she seems to have quite a lot of fans in the real world too, huh? Anyway, I can't answer your question yet, I'm sorry. But we're getting to the end of this story, so the answer will be soon.

 **Gonzalorp94:** Thank you, your reviews are always appreciated. Glad you enjoyed the chapter. :)

 **Shawn Raven:** where do I ever begin with this one? I guess a 'thank you' would be a nice place, so thank you for your review. :) As for university, well, individual programs are not exactly unheard of and Keima being Keima... it's somehow possible in my mind... I'm more concerned with Keima buying this many girls from what he calls M-funds and not having his family go bankrupt. And yes, Ayumi and Keima have been going for two years. More or less. And about Yui... well, you read that right. :P By the way, if you have any ideas for The World Yui Only Knows, you're free to send me a PM. I'm not promising I'll use them though. As for the "something is still not right" thing – I'm not going to say anything. Just keep on reading. ;)

 **Sol D. Mars:** Agreed, but I think there were other ways it could've happened.

 **Skullcandyklive:** No problem. :) I suppose you know this, but you can review previous chapters any time you want, so you can always, for example, split your review into two parts and post them under different chapters or something. Well, I didn't really portray university or studying, just explained Ayumi's and Keima's situations... but thank you anyway. :) About the fire thing: gotcha! :) Finally, I'm not sure about "five or eleven" stories. The way I count them it seems to be more than that. :) And good luck on your thesis!

 **Sound Dash E.V:** Thank you for your review. I'm positively surprised you'd like to have a story about Tsukiyo, as she's rarely a central focus in KamiNomi stories. Personally she's one of my favorites and I would really like to expand on her background. And I'm glad you're looking forward to whoever I choose. As for the question itself – you'll need to wait a bit more to get the answer. Sorry.

 **DPSS:** Thank for your review. Both of your questions are answered in this chapter. You be the judge. ;)

 **Iutach:** You're welcome. :) You actually live close to Dentsu-dai? Man, that's awkward. Well, maybe it's not allowing such things... but if Keima was real then it might have allowed it. :) And for your final question: you'll have to wait for the next chapter to get the answer.

 **ZelgadisGW:** No problem. Not really sure how to answer the rest of it. Anyway, I'm glad you liked this chapter. I hope you'll like the future chapters and future stories as well.

 **Linkkirby8692:** I believe I already replied to your review in a PM, but I just wanted to point out to everyone that this is just one story in a series of stories. It's true however, that this one is centered on Ayumi even more than it is centered on Keima. And I also feel that the first story was not really centered on Keima. Yes, he was the main cause for people (mostly girls) acting that way, but the previous story was about everyone, not just Keima. And about other girls being jealous... well, they will get their chance as well, so there is not really a reason for jealousy in that sense. I hope you'll understand this in those next few chapters.

 **Qruis** and **Refraction of Light** : I fixed the plot hole with Ayase and her phone in the previous chapter... I think. Thanks for pointing that out. I simply forgot Ayase forgot her phone. :)

 **That's for the replies... Whew... that took some time...**

 **Oh... and as for the title of this chapter I didn't want to copy the manga, but I didn't have any better ideas. I already have the title for the next chapter though...**

 **Ok, enough of this prattle. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **(* * *)**

The reactions of the people to the news that Ayumi and Keima were engaged were various to say the least.

Some of them were expected, like Keima's mom fainting twice in a row or some of the girls acting shocked, even to the point of loss of words, like in case of Shiori.

Some of the responses were... normal. Such cases included, Miyako, who seemed a little surprised, but didn't freak out or start squealing. She immediately proceeded to the "can I be the bridesmaid?" question.

However, most of the reactions were unexpected in the strangest ways.

Keima's father choked on his drink when he heard the news and for Ayumi was already calling the ambulance when he came to.

Eri's reaction seemed predictable at first, as the former devil janitor immediately started jumping up and down and running around the room, being more energetic than Ayumi ever remembered her being... but then she proceeded to say things like "finally!" and "I was waiting for weeks for that!" At first Ayumi thought that Keima simply informed Eri of his plans beforehand, but he denied it and it wouldn't make sense – someone like Eri wasn't good at keeping secrets.

Most of the other girls seemed shocked as well – Tsukiyo dropped and smashed one of her cups when Ayumi told her, while looking at her in utter shock. Curiously, Nanaka, who somehow learned about everything before Ayumi could get a hold of her, arrived at her house and practically dragged her to a bar to "celebrate her checkmating the god".

Ayumi was shocked when she learned that some of the girls were actually _betting_ on the possibility of their marriage. And there were several bets. Various bets. Some were simple, like: "will Keima propose and when he will do it" but some were more... inventive. For example, "will Keima be the one to propose or will Ayumi have to do it herself?" or "will Ayumi accept right off the bat or will she kick him before answering?"

Well, there was little Ayumi could do concerning the bets, so she just tried to control her embarrassment, while watching Sumire and Minami – the most successful winners – collect their money from others.

But the most surprising one was actually Ayumi's father, because of his "finally, how long were you going to have my daughter wait?" speech, proving that he was going to "suggest" the proposal to Keima if he wasn't going to do it soon. This was however inexplicable to her and Keima – both of them were young and, considering all the circumstances, Keima had proposed fairly quickly.

And then the wedding arrangements started. Keima and Ayumi had to get to work quick if they wanted to get married on 7th of November – exactly three years after their first 'wedding'.

And Ayumi was hell-bent on making it happen.

It wasn't exactly easy – they had run into some problems that only people with their kind of history could run into – but they were able to make it. It was 7th of November and the afternoon sun was readying itself to settle or rather sink into the Sea of Maijima.

Ayase, Tsukiyo, Eri and Miyako were serving as bridesmaids, with Chihiro being the maid of honor. On Keima's side two of his cousins were designated groomsmen (although they didn't seem too thrilled about this), while the role of the best man went to Ryō Asama, who was more than happy to be useful. Keima had a different opinion on the topic of his usefulness – he was almost certain the blond former buddy would lose the wedding rings somewhere along the way – but accepted Ryō as his best man in the end.

And Yui's suggestion to become his best man instead of Ryō was one of the things that helped him decide that.

The guests were all here already, sitting on folding chairs that were placed on the deck of the Akanemaru and the ship itself had been decorated suitably for the occasion. If any of the guests thought that an old ship like that was a strange place for holding a wedding ceremony then they didn't say so.

Keima was already standing near the minister. No-one could tell if he was worried, anxious or happy as all traces of emotion were hidden behind his usual mask. Similarly, if the guests wanted to comment about the white tuxedo the groom was wearing then they didn't do it.

The attention of the guests was soon diverted, however, as the bride arrived, accompanied by her father and the sounds of "Here comes the bride". No musicians were seen nearby, but the guests shrugged – they were probably below the deck, right? – and continued to observe the bride slowly walking down the aisle. While Keima's clothes have been somewhat changed compared to their last 'wedding' Ayumi was wearing exactly the same wedding dress Keima had given her as a wedding gift three years ago, as she never threw it away. The only difference from back then was that the combined powers of human, devil and goddess were used to fix all the wrinkles and restore the dress to its snow-white appearance.

And this time the veil was covering the face of the bride as she joined the groom in front of the minister, while he best man, the maid of honor and the other bridesmaids and groomsmen took their place close to them. No changes could be seen on the bride's and groom' faces except for the bride giving a very faint smile.

(* * *)

If the guests were afraid that the ceremony would become weird and that unexpected things were going to happen then the next minutes made them relax – what followed seemed like a typical westernized Japanese wedding ceremony. The hymn was sung, the Scripture was read and the prayer was said.

However, the guests were bound to tilt their heads when the time for vows came. The groom, started, his voice deep, loud and full of passion that made several guests from his family and two groomsmen rub their eyes in surprise, including Mari and Keiichi. Eri just smiled, Chihiro shook her head slightly and Ryō just nodded his head approvingly, a red rose appearing in his hand from nowhere.

The groom was pledging his love and care and the bride returned the same. The groom swore to walk with her through the real and the bride swore to always come running to his aid. The couple then turned to the Sea of Maijima and pleaded the earth, heaven and underworld, asking for their blessings.

Any surprised whispers were drowned out by a sudden breeze that came from the direction of the sea, as if in response to the bride and groom's call.

The minister, in order to dispel any doubts, proceeded to ask the groom if he was going to take the bride as his wedded wife.

"I do" the groom replied, not batting an eyelash.

The minister then turned to the bride, asking if she was going to take the groom as her wedded husband.

"I do" the bride said with no hesitation, but with voice overloading with emotion.

Keiichi had to hand Mari a handkerchief, while Chihiro had to hold Eri, preventing her from jumping out of the line. Even Ryō could barely hold back the tears of emotion, but he was quickly brought back to order by Keima's sharp gaze, reminding his best man that it was the time for the exchange of rings. Ryō calmed himself and produced the rings and Keima proceeded to put his on Ayumi's finger. He remained calm and collected, but his mask cracked a little when he noticed that Ayumi had trouble keeping her cool, unable to keep a smile off her face.

Keima sighed inwardly. It's not like he blamed her. A part of him was actually happy to see her reacting like that... but still, he would rather not be forced to use plan 6 in case wings suddenly sprouted from Ayumi's back.

Fortunately, the bride composed herself and was looking almost professional when she was signing the marriage certificate.

"Now, I pronounce you man and wife" the minister announced solemnly as soon as the groom signed the certificate as well. "You may kiss the bride."

The groom and the bride turned to face each other. The groom then raised his hands, grasped the veil and lifted it, not too fast, nor too slow, revealing the rosy face of the bride to everyone as Ayumi's and Keima's eyes met for the first time as husband and wife.

In this moment Ayumi felt a sudden urge to just pounce at Keima right away. She looked in his eyes and realized he knew that and would let her do it. But she resisted the urge, her features softening. It was their second wedding, so it was now his turn.

Keima didn't disappoint. His one hand found hers while the other one cupped her cheek. Ayumi didn't resist, she let herself be conquered as he sealed her lips with his, sealing their future together.

The crowd couldn't take it anymore and cheers erupted all around them, but those cheers were unable to drown out the sound of the wedding bells, which was unnaturally amplified, as if by magic. The newlyweds could barely hear any of this though, lost in their own world.

However, they did hear a chorus of "ooh!" a moment later and they broke their kiss, looked at each other and then turned to the bow of the ship to see what got the crowd so excited.

What they saw was a huge a small plane flying high in the sky, with a giant "HAPPY END" sign following it. It was obvious that such a thing would lead to questions, but the entire scene looked possible. Strange and unusual, but possible. The same couldn't be said about wedding bells, however, as they continued to float in the air without any visible support, clearly a sign of a paranormal phenomenon that made many guests widen their eyes or rub them in shock and disbelief. They guests were so surprised than they didn't pay any attention to several devilish figures sitting on the mast in the open and observing the ceremony from above.

Keima and Ayumi didn't care for any of this though, both of them looking at the setting sun, which right at this moment touched the surface of the sea, as if paying its respects to the freshly married couple.

And so the boy who called himself the God of Conquest fell in love and married the girl who was the host of the Goddess of Travel.

(* * *)

The guests could somehow keep quiet about all they have seen, but their patience had its limits and they couldn't stop the whispers anymore when the buses drove them to the one of the many buildings located in the Shiratori residence. Mari Katsuragi herself was extremely curious as to why such a renowned family agreed to provide their estate as the venue for the wedding party. She did suspect Keima somehow forced them to do it, but her son denied it, stating that the Shiratoris were simply in his debt. Mari didn't argue with that, especially considering that such solution greatly reduced the costs associated with the party.

Thinking about it, when she first had heard of it, she had arrived at the Shiratori household and saw that the entire place was spacious, but gloomy – most buildings were forgotten and left alone except for a few that served as home for the current heir of the family.

Mari had wanted to express her gratitude properly, mindful that she should keep her temperament at bay, but she hadn't been prepared when the heir had turned out to be a girl matching Keima's age, who had walked up to her and proceeded to shake the hand of "the mother of Keima Katsuragi". Mari had been confused, but then the girl's father had appeared with a female servant and had invited Mari inside.

Mari did relative well that day... up to the point when the man had pointed out that he was the heir's grandfather, not father.

Mari shook her head and returned to the present, looking at the building serving as the venue for the party in shock – it looked as it was completely rebuild and further decorated, making several guests gasp in awe.

The guests proceeded to the entrance, the young Katsuragis walking at the front with Mrs. Katsuragi linking arm with her freshly married husband and giggling all the time a wide grin never leaving her face. The guests were not perplexed by this display of happiness – it started as soon as the wedding ceremony ended and it took the newlyweds an unreasonably long time to reach the car that drove them here as the wife could hardly walk ten meters without grabbing her husband for another kiss. And he did nothing to stop her, forcing Chihiro to give him a discreet nudge after the third time.

The newlyweds now stopped in front of the entrance where Urara Shiratori stood in a stunning dress, ready to greet them with a smile.

For a few more minutes everything was in order – the guests entered the building and the couple cut the wedding cake together, which, for some reason, had two small figurines depicting a running girl and a boy cheering for her on top of it. Ayumi took a slice of the cake and then stood on her toes to whisper something into her husband's ear. To everyone's surprise Keima visibly blushed and allowed himself be fed a substantial amount of cake by his smiling wife. Everyone that knew Keima and later tasted the maddeningly sweet cake had to wonder – what kind of bribe did the bride use to have him do that?

After that the music started and the newlyweds proceeded to perform the first dance. The family of the groom and bride, aware of Keima's weirdness and of Ayumi's issues with speed and control were once again shocked when the pair continued to dance with no problems at all, their eyes locked with each other. One of the groomsmen asked "since when he can dance like that?" and a small blonde girl standing behind him answered "since I taught him" with pride obvious in her voice.

Soon after that more dancing pairs joined the newlyweds and it took no genius that from that point onwards the party started to slowly, but surely change into a beautiful, dignified and chaotic mix of dances, drinks and cheers.

(* * *)

Ayumi had always been energetic and ran fast even when (or especially when) the situation didn't call for it. But she wasn't a long-distance runner. Her stamina was not that great and she get tired pretty easily. Thus, when the first rush of happiness ended she realized that she should rest for a short while or she won't last through her own wedding party.

So she excused herself for a moment and sat down by one of the tables, a glass of wine in her hand and observing the people.

Keima was currently dancing with Mio. Both the boy and the girl looked calm and collected, but Ayumi somehow sensed that they weren't really dancing, but more like fighting or competing – she could occasionally see Keima narrow his eyes and Mio turn the corners of her lips upwards in a small, barely there smirk. And they both were trying to lead. The surprising thing was that despite all this their movements remained pretty smooth and synchronized.

Maybe they weren't really fighting... maybe this was how the two prideful individuals showed respect for each other.

And perhaps Mio wanted to see the results of her training firsthand – after all the young Aoyama was the one who had given Ayumi and Keima dancing lessons, along with Urara and Yui (the last had happily played the role of Ayumi's dancing partner, when Mio had been busy showing Keima some of the steps).

"Ayumi!" the bride almost jumped in her seat and turned around to see Eri sit on the chair next to her and proceed to give the runner a mighty hug with her face a step away from crying.

"What's wrong?" Ayumi asked.

"Nothing's wrong!" the girl replied. "I'm just so haaaapy! Now I not only have mother, father and brother. Now Ayumi is my sister! I always wanted to have a sister like you!" Eri said in glee.

"We're sisters-in-law, but... yeah" Ayumi agreed. "We were always like sisters though. That didn't change."

"I know" Eri said. "But I'm just so happy. Nii-sama and Ayumi are married! It's like I'm dreaming!"

Ayumi laughed. "So, Keima managed to marry before you did" she noticed.

"Yeah, what of it?" Eri asked, her voice suspicious.

"If I were you I would keep your eye on your mother now" Ayumi said. Eri then turned around to look for Mari. When she finally noticed her the woman chose that moment to glance back at Eri with a cheery face that seemed to speak 'Eri, my dear, when will _you_ marry?'

"Umm... I need to go now" Eri said, before standing from her chair before half walking and half running off comically in her high heels.

Ayumi followed her with her eyes and smiled heartily.

"Really, how a cute girl like her is not engaged yet is a mystery to me" that was exactly what Ayumi thought, but she didn't say it out loud, she turned back to see who said that and saw another girl who sat where Eri was a moment ago and flung her arm around Ayumi's shoulders.

"Chihiro?" Ayumi asked.

"That's me" the maid of honor replied.

"What are you doing here?"

"My duty as the maid of honor. I'm taking care of you and repelling all the guys, so you have a chance to rest" the girl replied and paused for a moment. "So... how does it feel to be Mrs. Katsuragi?" she asked.

Ayumi laughed. "You know, I thought you would ask that" she replied. "Except I thought you would call me Mrs. Otamegane."

"Nah, I wouldn't" Chihiro waved her hand, before smiling. "I did call Keima Mr. Unguided Missile a moment ago, though."

Ayumi laughed again. "And how did he feel about that?"

"No clue" Chihiro replied. "But I did trip twice when I was dancing with him. Could be an accident though" she added before continuing. "You didn't answer my previous question."

"Honestly?" Ayumi started. "It's unreal. And exhilarating. Like a drug."

"Oh c'mon, like it's the first time" Chihiro told her, taking a sip from her own glass. "He made your go all mushy-mushy before. I know. I was there to see it."

"Right..."

"Still, it's not over yet you know?" Chihiro said, her tone somewhere between amused and serious. "There's one more thing you need to do."

"What do you mean?" Ayumi asked.

"The wedding night of course!" Chihiro said a little too loud, making Minami, who was dancing not far away, suddenly trip on absolutely nothing. Ayumi didn't see that. She was too busy with blushing and stuttering.

"S-so what?" Ayumi asked. "It's not a big deal."

It was Chihiro's turn to laugh. "I admit it... you managed to have Keima fall for you and now I think it's really possible for you and him to... do that" she admitted with a blush. "But it's still gonna be sooo awkward!"

Ayumi blinked, confusion surfacing through her embarrassment.

"How come?" she asked, sincerely not understanding.

Chihiro looked at her and raised her eyebrow. "Hello... you know how much problems Keima had with real girls. And he still has with regards to the rest of the world" Chihiro started. "But he at least noticed and acknowledged real girls. Now... have you ever seen him acknowledge the existence of sex? Especially in real life?"

Ayumi stayed quiet and Chihiro nodded before continuing. "See? I wonder if the guy even has a sex drive at all!" she rambled on. "And even if he wanted to do it he probably wouldn't know how. And you're both virgins. It's not like I'm laughing at you or him... I'm just telling you that you should be prepared and-" Chihiro stopped when she looked at Ayumi and saw her blushing madly, but not in the way Chihiro had expected... and she had those... distant look in her eyes.

"Ayumi?" she asked.

"Oh... sorry, sorry, I was thinking about something."

"Thinking about what?" Chihiro asked, before a new ridiculous thought surfaced in her mind. "You are a virgin, right?"

"I can hear my husband calling for me... umm... gotta go" Ayumi stood up and run in the direction of the crowd, leaving Chihiro sitting there unmoving with her mouth slightly open.

(* * *)

Keima's mother just stopped dancing with the best man moments ago. He was a real charming man, she couldn't understand why Keima was so unwilling to have him as his best man. Mari turned and smiled when she saw her son, daughter and daughter-in-law dance together in a circle with Eri and Ayumi smiling in a girly way and Keima being practically spun around.

And then she felt someone bump into her.

"Oh, excuse me, I wasn't watching where I was going" the other person said and then stopped. Mari turned around only to see the mother of her daughter-in-law.

"Oh, don't worry about it" Mari replied. "It's good the party is going well, right?"

"Yes" Mrs. Takahara replied. "I was worried there would be problems, but the owners of this... house turned out to be really helpful."

Mari nodded. Both mothers remained silent for a moment, observing the party and many people on the dance floor, until they turned to face each other.

"So, is this all your family?" they both asked at the same time, then blinked, then tilted their heads in confusion.

"Excuse me" Ayumi's mother was the first to recover. "But what do you mean by that?"

"Umm" Mari stammered out, face reddening in embarrassment. "Forgive me... but I was under the impression that most of the guests here were Ayumi's family..."

"You mean they aren't Keima's family?" Mrs. Takahara asked.

"Well... Keima was never really a family man" Mari admitted. "So it's not like a lot of our family is here."

Mrs. Takahara wasn't surprised. Keima have been going out with her daughter for a long time now. Long enough for her to figure out at least some things about him. And, frankly, she wasn't exactly sure why Ayumi fell in love with him, as there were certain points that proved Keima wasn't exactly a dream guy. On the other hand, him and Ayumi had this weird connection that seemed to work. And maybe Keima could be insensitive and weird at times, but there was not denying the fact that he was making Ayumi happy, so Mrs. Takahara was ready to overlook those faults of his. Not that her daughter was perfect – she could be violent and hot-blooded. Once or twice Mrs. Takahara even saw her daughter talk to herself when she thought no-one was nearby. It almost looked as if Ayumi was talking to imaginary friend, but Mrs. Takahara dismissed it in the end.

"So who here is from your family then?" she asked, returning to the conversation.

"Well, me, Keima, Keiichi, Eri, Asa, Keima's grandparents, and a few more cousins" Mari replied. "How about you?"

"With all the aunts and uncles it's about 15 people" Mrs. Takahara said. "That's including the bride."

"So... in total we have less than 30 people" Mari summarized. "Then _who_ are the rest of them?" she asked gesturing to the room, which was currently occupied by way more than 30 people.

"Frankly? I have no idea" Mrs. Takahara replied, observing the scene as well.

Keima's father, Keiichi, was right now dancing with some orange-haired girl who was more than a little tipsy, while Keima's grandfather, Denma, somehow ended up on the dance floor with a very enthusiastic-looking brown-haired woman in her twenties. The bride herself was being twirled around by the best man, while the bride's father was right now dancing with Eri. Keima himself was dancing with a violet-haired woman who had a luminescent blush on her face. The song soon ended and Keima turned around, but before he could make two steps he was approached by a shy girl with ribbons in her hair. Mari did recognize her as one of the girls that appeared in her café a few years ago. She also recognized some of the people outside of their family. Like Eri's and Ayumi's friends from their high school band. And Tenri of course. She also recognized the rāmen girl, the small blonde girl with princess curls and the one with ruffled hair. And she certainly did recognize Kanon Nakagawa.

But she did not recognize the other people. And she didn't miss the fact that those people were mostly girls. Well, many of them were here with some guys, but not all of them.

In that moment, Mari felt Mrs. Takahara give her a small nudge. Mari turned around and saw the other woman discreetly point to a young girl who was standing a small distance from them. Mari immediately understood the meaning of the nudge.

"Excuse me, miss" she said to get the girls attention.

"Yes?" the girl replied, looking up and Mari suddenly experienced a major feeling of déjà vu. It was like she had met the girl before, but for the life of her couldn't figure when or where. "Excuse me for being rude... but may I ask who you are?"

"My name is Natsuko Nagase" the girl replied, bowing slightly. "I'm a relative of Ayumi-san's high school homeroom teacher."

Both women blinked at that. "Ayumi's homeroom teacher... you mean, Nagase-sensei?"

The girl nodded.

"Now that I think about it" Mrs. Takahara started. "Isn't that woman over there actually Nagase-sensei?" she asked, pointing at the person still dancing with grandpa Denma.

"Yes, that's her" the girl replied, with a small, mysterious smile.

"And how old are you?" Mari asked, clueless about the girl's age. Something about her was simply strange.

"I'm 15 years old" the girl replied with a voice more befitting a 10 years older person. "Now, if you'll excuse me..." the girl left the mothers, navigated through the dance floor and appeared in front of Keima, just as he was about to take a break.

"Tired, already, Katsuragi-san?" the girl asked with a tint of amusement in her voice.

Keima nodded slightly, but extended his hand. "May I have this dance?"

"My, my" the girl said, while accepting his outstretched hand. "Aren't you a little too flirty for a freshly-married man? Especially since I'm a young innocent girl."

"Young innocent girl?" Keima repeated, while starting to dance. "Nice one, Dokurō-chan..."

"It's Dokurō-sensei to you" the girl replied while twirling in place.

"My mother is not freaking because of you, so I take it that the illusion worked" Keima said. "Did you really look like that when you were fifteen?"

"No" Dokurō-Nikaidō replied. "I changed my hairstyle before I attended the middle school, but I needed it now in order not to get recognized. Do you like it?" she asked with a sly smile.

"It's fine" Keima replied. "I get a feeling you're here to tell me something..."

"Really?" she asked, feigning ignorance.

"And that's something is 'I'm proud of you, Katsuragi'".

"Huh? How did you know that?" Dokurō asked surprised.

Keima sighed. "Because, beside Ayumi's family, fingers of one hand are enough to count the number of people in this room who _didn't_ say they're proud of me" he replied. "Even Nora's buddy said that."

"Ouch" Dokurō said, obviously enjoying his annoyance. "Well, then I can't be worse, can I?" she told him before adding. "I'm proud of you, onii-chan."

Keima was about to say anything, but at this very moment Ayumi appeared out of nowhere.

"Here you are" she told Keima, before turning to Dokurō. "Can I borrow him for a moment?"

"Well, he's yours to begin with. I was the one borrowing" Dokurō replied.

"Thanks, Natsuko-chan" Ayumi said, not one bit embarrassed about addressing her former teacher in that way. She probably wasn't exactly sober either.

"No problem, Ayumi-chan" and then the girl was gone, making her way towards the Shiratori grandfather.

Ayumi turned back to Keima.

"Good evening, Mr. Katsuragi" she started.

"Good evening, Mrs. Katsuragi" Keima replied, offering his hand to Ayumi and soon they were dancing.

"It seems I'm not going to sit down anytime soon" Keima complained, while they were moving through the sea of dancing pairs.

"Do you want to?" Ayumi asked, fully aware that the way Keima was looking at her and the way he was holding her was more than a little possessive.

Who would've thought, huh?

"Who knows?" he replied. "But I'd rather sit down before Yui catches me again."

"Was it that bad?" Ayumi asked. "She's even wearing a dress this time. And she gave up on you."

"Yes" Keima admitted. "And that's why dancing with me is all she's going to get, so she wants to do it while she can, I guess."

"Yup, that sounds like Yui" Ayumi laughed before continuing. "But I think it's not just her. Probably all of 'your girls' want to dance with you at least once tonight."

"Apparently" Keima replied.

Another song started and somehow no-one asked to dance with either him or her, probably sensing that they were having their moment.

"What about our devilish guests?" Ayumi asked.

"Fine" Keima told her. "Nora is acting... acceptable and Haqua is fine as well."

"Yeah, I saw you dance with them" Ayumi said, a tint of jealousy in her voice. "They both seemed to get a little too close to you."

Keima shrugged. "It's normal for Nora. She loves to tease. And Haqua... if it's just that then I don't mind" he paused for a moment. "Actually, we owe her quite a lot for this one – she certainly made all of this easier... and the same goes for the Shiratoris."

"I know" Ayumi said. "And don't forget our parents."

"What about them?"

"Sooo... when can we expect the grandchildren?" Ayumi drawled, imitating the voice of her mother. Keima frowned at that.

"Let's talk about it later" he suggested. "Muuuch later."

"I agree" Ayumi replied and then coughed a little. "So have you danced with every girl in this room?" she asked.

"Yes, except Rimyuel."

"She's that small devil, right?" Ayumi asked. "Is she even here?" Keima nodded. "With an illusion on her?"

"What for?" Keima asked. "No-one knows her."

"And what if someone mistakes her for a child?"

"She wouldn't mind" Keima told her. "But I'll get her to dance with me."

"Why?" Ayumi asked. "Aah... let me guess... the pride of the God of Conquest?"

"Something like that."

Ayumi half-closed her eyes, looking at him with a dangerous smirk. "Hold your horses, I'm the only heroine in your life now."

"Outside of games" he corrected her.

"Outside of games" she agreed, before sighing. "Your games do worry me though."

"Why?" he asked, surprised.

"Well, as ridiculous as it sounds, you really can figure out a real girl if you put enough effort into it" she admitted. "Unfortunately, I'm not _that_ good at figuring you out."

"Don't worry, it'll take years before I would be able to really figure you out" he told her.

"What do you mean?" Ayumi asked, actually surprised. "I thought you would say something like 'I know everything about you by now'."

"I would if this was a game, but it's not" he replied. "Some of the things you did back when we were in high school are still a mystery to me" he said.

"Like what?"

"Remember when me and Chihiro were preparing for the three-legged race?"

"Yeah..." she replied slowly. "What about it?"

"What did you do it?" he asked. "What did you help me?"

"You needed help" Ayumi said simply, but Keima was not fooled by that.

"And you want me to believe that you dragged me across the track with _that_ speed and our legs tied just to help me?" he asked, his movements smooth all the time. They were many dancing pairs around them, but somehow Keima knew how to navigate, so they wouldn't collide. Well, such things about him stopped surprising her a long time ago. "Your common sense was not _that_ bad."

"W-well" Ayumi looked to the side, searching for words. "Back then I already had my memories of you... actually I started remembering shortly before you tutored me, Chihiro and Kanon for that English test..."

"Go on" Keima said after a moment.

"During the sports festival... I was already aware of Mel, but I didn't know if it was real. I mean... it seemed like a dream, a hallucination or something like that."

"And you abused me because of a hallucination?"

"No!" Ayumi told him, getting the attention of Sumire and her partner who were dancing next to them. "It's just... I was under the impression that you... seduced me and then left me without saying a word... and then you started to get along with Chihiro... I mean, it was more like you argued less frequently with her, but I still felt angry and jealous and-"

"And that's why you raced with me tied to your leg, I know" Keima interrupted her. "What I don't know is why were you so cheerful and laughing after you finished dragging me over the ground?" he asked. "For an angry and jealous girl you looked pretty happy. And I don't mean 'vindictively satisfied' kind of happy like when you were preparing for a crouching start. I mean actually _happy_."

"Well, that's because jealousy was stronger than anger... and my... feelings for you were even stronger than that" she told him, burying her head into his shoulder, to hide her face. "I knew you seduced me, but you also seemed unaware of it... I knew I had some sort of amnesia, so I thought you might have that too... so..."

"Soo...?" Keima prodded her on, scowling a little when Sumire flashed him a thumbs up, obviously misinterpreting why him and Ayumi were snuggling.

"I guess I wanted to appeal to you" Ayumi whispered, making sure no-one else could hear her, by now even the tips of her ears were red.

This surprised Keima. "What do you mean?"

"I didn't know what you thought about me... I wasn't close to you... that was fine as long as you were a loner... but when you were with Chihiro... I kinda felt threatened" she explained, not seeing the look of surprise on Keima's face. "So I wanted to impress you..."

"Wait, you were trying to _conquer_ me?" he asked, shifting so he could see her face.

"Y-yeah" Ayumi told him, looking at his neck. "I had a boy confess to me on their own before, but I didn't know what to do to have a boy look at me" she explained. "I guess, I just wanted you to notice me and running was the only thing I was really good at... and it was the sports festival, so it just happened... yeah" she drifted off, before looking at up him. "I thought you knew that... you have my memories, right?"

"Memories, not feelings" Keima reminded her. "And your way of thinking is pretty straightforward. You were just thinking 'I'll go run with Katsuragi' back then" he paused for a second. "So that's why you approached me with 'did you see me? I was fast, right?' thing?" Ayumi nodded, her face aflame. "That still doesn't explain why did you abuse me?"

"Well, it was my subconscious way of punishing you... in case you were really a womanizing jerk that just tossed my aside" she said and waited, afraid that Keima will comment on that, but he didn't.

The two of them heard the music come to a stop and a lot of microphone static followed. And then there was a voice.

"Umm... could I have all your attention, please."

Ayumi and Keima blinked in confusion and turned their heads to look at the impromptu podium serving as a place for the wedding band playing all the songs... except the original band was now sitting in the corners and the center was taken by another group of people... the 2-B pencils minus Ayumi, who was being replaced by the guitarist guy from the wedding band.

And the one by the microphone wasn't Chihiro.

It was Kanon.

And her words seemed to attract everyone's attention, as everyone was looking at the band podium in confusion. Ayumi had a brief thought, but no... Kanon wasn't going to...

"I would like to dedicate a song to the newlyweds" the idol announced. "The song's title is 'Love makes the world go 'round'".

She was...

"Kanon-chan is going to sing?!" someone from Ayumi's family asked surprised. Excited whispers started to float and some eyes turned from Kanon to Ayumi and Keima. And some of them belonged to girls – Shiori was looking really surprised, Minami had a sparkle in her eyes, while Mio gave them a haughty smirk. Kanon herself winked at them with a warm smile, while Chihiro gave them a sly one.

Of course, there were no objections from the crowd, so Kanon motioned to Yui, who initiated the count and then the music started.

A few seconds into the song Ayumi realized that this thing was planned in advance – currently the 2-B pencils was just a hobby that she and her friends shared in those rare moments they were all together, but it was obvious that Chihiro, Miyako, Eri and Yui prepared for this, as their performance was quite good. And any imperfections went unnoticed when Kanon started to sing.

This wasn't the type of song that would normally be played when a freshly married couple was performing its first dance and it wasn't the song that had played when newlyweds were first dancing tonight, but somehow Ayumi realized that it was "their song."

The song was telling the story of a young girl with a troubled heart and a boy who cheered her on. The girl fell in love with the boy and he released her from her plight. Freeing and seizing her heart at the same time.

The chorus described the confession of love and the girl kissing the boy in the evening, with the moon in the sky.

The second verse was speaking of the girl and the boy running throughout a forest while the forces of light and darkness clashing all around them and both of them confronting each other on the ship, basked in moonlight like a god and a goddess.

Kanon sang the chorus once again, more slowly this time, while Keima and Ayumi proceeded to twirl together, like two stars orbiting around the center of gravity, their eyes locked onto each other, moving closer and closer.

Love makes the world go 'round, indeed...

The song ended and at the same time the space between the newlyweds disappeared as they shared a loving kiss.

A thunderous applause erupted and Ayumi didn't know if it was directed at Kanon and 2-B pencils or her and Keima, but she dismissed this thought as soon as the band started another one of Kanon songs. This one, however, had much quicker pace. Ayumi looked up at Keima and smiled mischievously. Her husband gave her 'you're really going to do that' kind of look, as he wasn't a fan of quicker dances, but didn't resist as she started to move, trying to match the tempo and the rhythm of the music.

She was a little drunk, she realized, but she didn't care. This song was quick and energetic, just like Ayumi. She was in her own element. She was back to being the unguided missile, straightforward and chaotic. Yes, her brakes and self-control were now much better, but she disregarded that completely, letting herself go. She didn't need to restrain herself, because Keima was here with her. He somehow predicted and directed her movements. She was leading and deciding on the course, while he helped her achieve it quickly, efficiently and safely. She was a runner and he was her coach. She was a missile and he was her guide. She was a girl and he loved her.

And she loved him too.

They were a hero and a heroine.

Together they reached the ending and ventured past it, welcoming their future together, ready to be more than friends or lovers.

Ready to be husband and wife.

And now that Ayumi thought about it, getting married this time of the year was really convenient. It was still fairly warm, but at the same time the sun settled early and rose late, making the night last a long time.

And she was really looking forward to the wedding night.

 **(* * *)**

 **Whew! That took waaay more time than it should, but I definitely had fun writing this chapter and describing all the things and characters. I wonder how many of you were surprised to learn that Ryō is the best man? :) Well, I'm not completely fine with this, but beggars can't be choosers. And the alternative was Yui, so I decided to leave this important task to Ryō and hope he won't mess up as usual. :)**

 **And about the "HAPPY END" sign thing. Yes, there was a plane, but it was supposed to be only an illusion, a pretense, so it was originally supposed to be devils' (Haqua's) doing... but then my brother read it and thought it was the handiwork of the Shiratori grandpa... As for the final version... you decide who did that. :)**

 **As for 2-B pencils... I didn't really know what they should look like after high school, but for this story I decided to leave the band as a hobby. I hope you enjoyed the song they played with Kanon thought. :) Well, the song was supposed to have actual lyrics, but such things are not my pair of shoes... sorry.  
**

 **As for the families, I made up all those cousins, uncles and aunts... except for Keima's grandparents and someone called Asa. Just sayin'.**

 **The next thing about this chapter, something you've probably noticed already, is it being somewhat risqué. Well, this story is T-rated and I've avoided sexual themes for the most of the story (also with Keima being Keima there was no point most of the time), so if there was time to do it then this is it. If anyone feels offended by this then I'm sorry. And as for the wedding night and whether Ayumi and Keima did it before... I leave it for you to decide as well. :)**

 **Anyway... writing this chapter was fun and all, but I won't lie to you – I'm not completely satisfied with it. I wanted to add many details and reference as many things from the manga as possible, but there are limits. For that reason I didn't describe every part of the ceremony. I also didn't mention all the girls being in the party (in particular Hinoki), so I'll leave it to you whether they were there or not.**

 **A more general remark: usually I like to add different girls from time to time, but I didn't want to go into too much details about the life of some girls, their boyfriends and so on. In particular, as far as I remember, this story never mentions Kaori. That doesn't mean she's dead however. I just didn't want to add such things as the story is long enough without them.**

 **Going back to this chapter... my original plans included some scenes after the wedding party (and I don't mean the wedding night!), but it didn't really feel right, so I decided to end it here and leave the rest for the next chapter...**

 **...this in turn begs a question: how many chapters are left for this story? Actually, if everything goes as it's supposed to, then there's only one more chapter left. Yes, you read that right – next time will be the last chapter of The World Ayumi Only Knows. It will serve both as an epilogue to this story and as interlude between this story and the next story in the series...**

 **...that means that very important questions, the ones most of you have been asking since Flag 20, will be answered. However, I'll need some time to figure out the details, so... just be patient, my readers. The answers are coming. :)**

 **Oh, and just because it'll be an epilogue, it doesn't mean it'll be short.**

 **Anyway... I kindly ask you to drop me a review. I would really like to know what you think about this chapter!**

 **Okay... that's all for today. Stay tuned for the last chapter!**

 **See you next time!**


	20. Flag 40: Door to yesterday

**Hello, everyone! I'm back with the latest chapter of AyumiNomi!**

 **And it's the last chapter. But don't be sad! It was a fun ride... but we will get to that. I'll make all announcements in author's notes after the chapter.**

 **But before we get to the chapter I'd like to reply to the reviews.**

 **Gonzalorp94:** Thank you. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well. Well, I'm very tempted to write a KamiNomi harem. The only thing that stops me is lack of time.

 **Chiufan95:** You're welcome. :)

 **NotAnAuthor504:** Well, congratulations were little premature, but thanks anyway. :) As for the order, we'll get to that. And it's nice to know that there are people supporting characters like Kusunoki as well. Believe me, you're not the only one. :)

 **ZelgadisGW:** Oh? I'll need to ask you who's going to be Keima's best man once we get to Kusunoki, huh? :P And as for Yui – it was a manly dress! It was passed down in the Armst-Goidō family for generation! And I almost forgot – meow! (^.^)

 **Sir sleeps-a-lot:** thank you very much, it means a lot to me. I've already answered some of your question in a PM. And as for which goddess hosts is going next... just read and see. Oh and I'm glad I managed to surprise you. :)

 **Sound Dash E.V:** Thank you and I'll try. As for Tsukiyo, well, I like pretty much all KamiNomi heroines, but Tsukiyo is still pretty high on my list. I'm glad you appreciate me making the story believable. :)

 **Guest:** Thank you. :) As for Ayumi realizing, being sad and stuff like this. We'll see about that. :)

 **Hikigaya:** Thank you. :) And as for wedding being big... if you take Akanemaru as a replacement for a church then it doesn't really seem so over the top, at least that's how I feel. I mean, there were roughly 60–70 guests there. For a guy like Keima it might be an achievement, but, generally speaking, it's not a big number of wedding guests, really. :P

 **Maxwellhilary0308:** thank you very much. I'm glad you think that way. As for your ff, I generally read all English KamiNomi stories here (unless they're too much AU for example), so I'll probably read yours as well. Good luck!

 **Skullcandyklive:** Tell you something – your reviews have always made me uplifted after I read them. :) And not just yours. I can't make any guarantees about the length of the stories though... I mean, I wouldn't mind making them long if I were able to write them a lot faster. I'll probably still end up making them longer than I want them to be... but on the other hand this story took me half a year. I know that I've practically switched to "one chapter per two weeks" schedule, but even if I get back to weekly updates, then 3 months per story are still not optimal. That probably means shorter stories. I'll think about it.

 **Iutach:** Thank you very much. I wanted to reference as many manga events with Ayumi and Keima as I could, so... yeah. As for Ayumi, Nikaidō and Tenri – I agree completely. I would add some girls to it (Kanon not getting a second kiss, Haqua and Urara not getting a kiss at all). And I hope you'll like my solution.

 **Okay, enough delaying. Below is the last chapter of AyumiNomi. All of your answers are there (hopefully).**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(* * *)**

Ayumi was running through the streets, enjoying the cool evening air, and soon she arrived at one of the apartment houses. She got inside, ignored the elevator and ran up the stairs, finally reaching the fifth floor. She grabbed the knob and pushed, but the door didn't yield. Huh, was Keima out or something? She pulled out her key and opened the door.

She entered the apartment. It wasn't big by any means, but it was cozy.

"Keima?" she called out, but there was no answer. She walked into the small kitchen and immediately noticed a note lying on the table. She picked up and smiled. It definitely was written by Keima.

The crappy picture proved it.

Ayumi looked at the clock on the wall, calculating how much time she got, before smiling. She headed for the fridge and started pulling out stuff, completely ignoring her special "calorie mix" shake she normally used after a run.

She was worried that she might not get it ready in time, but Keima apparently loitered along the way, so she got everything done and then she walked to the small balcony and stayed there for a while, letting the evening breeze through her hair.

Looking back on it, renting an apartment like this wasn't as stellar as she originally thought, but it couldn't be helped – Keima's mom had decided to pass the Café Grandpa to Eri, so the girl lived there with her fiancé. With four people already in the house, there was no way Ayumi and Keima could stay there too, especially since Keima didn't want to get rid of his games. Ayumi's house seemed a logical choice at first – she was the only child and there was a lot of space in her house. However, Keima and her parents didn't mesh that well for longer periods of time. So in the end she and Keima moved into this apartment near the outskirts of Narusawa City once Keima graduated university, while Ayumi was still studying.

At the café Eri took over the room that used to be Keima's game storage, while his games have been moved to Eri's old room, except the ones that Keima took with him – those now occupied a few shelves in his and Ayumi's apartment. Keima's old room at the café was currently empty, but it was apparently planned as a baby room for Eri's children. Well, not like Eri was pregnant, but Mari wouldn't mind that – Ayumi chuckled as she remembered the former devil once stated that one does not simply take over Café Grandpa from Mari Katsuragi without her expecting grandchildren soon.

Still, Eri couldn't really complain. And so couldn't Ayumi. After all both she and Keima had a job now and could afford a life like this. Well, Ayumi's job wasn't anything spectacular – she did manage to work as a sports coach, but it seemed pretty average on the whole. Keima, on the other hand, has firmly instilled himself into the Level-Eye galge company, although she doubted they were aware they had the God of Conquest on their team. But the job was good and Keima even worked from his house half of the time. That certainly helped things.

All in all, Keima did change considerably, certainly a progress from the "worst otamega" she once considered him to be. Of course, he still played his beloved games and some of her newer friends questioned how could she love otaku gamer like him, but Ayumi would only shake her head with a smile. As for Ayumi herself she had settled as well and it was quite literal – she stopped running into things and people and the same went for her kicking habit. She wasn't going to lie – she was a little proud of herself.

Ayumi smiled to herself. It wasn't perfect and she knew it won't be always so easy and serene, but all in all she was really content with her life.

Surprisingly, this thought made her feel even happier and relaxed for some reason.

She leaned on the railing of the balcony, overlooking the street, hoping to spot Keima when he'll be-

She heard the creaking of the door.

"I'm home."

She turned around and walked back into the apartment and saw Keima as he was taking his shoes off, a bag of groceries lying next to him, before pulling some bundle out of the carriage. Ayumi looked at him and chuckled again.

It was nearly nine years since she had run into him and dumped her cleaning duty on him, but he barely changed on the outside, maybe except for his bed hair, which was now fixed.

Sometimes.

"Welcome home!" she greeted him and proceeded to give him a kiss on the cheek.

Keima looked at her and raised his brow in question, silently asking what got her into such a good mood. Ayumi shrugged. She wasn't sure herself. She's probably just having a really good day.

"So, how is my little goddess?" Ayumi leaned closer, cooing at the bundle Keima was holding. The bundle fidgeted and turned around in the direction of Ayumi, curious brown eyes looking at her from under a growing fringe.

Yes, the small bundle was in fact Ayumi and Keima's eight months old daughter. The girls name was Yumiko, but Ayumi, Keima, their families and friends commonly just called her 'Yumi'. Ayumi once said the Yumiko inherited the hair and eye color from her father and the fondness of eating and kicking from her mother...

...and her drowsiness from Mercury.

Except for moments like this one.

"I tried to tire her out, but she's stubborn today" Keima said.

"Just like her father" Ayumi quipped with a smile. Actually, Keima was handling being a father pretty well. The fact that he was using to all-nighters helped a lot.

"Hmpf... like you're not stubborn" Keima retorted but with no ill-intent at all. He wanted to say more, but then he noticed something behind Ayumi. He leaned to the side, to see better inside the living room.

"What is this?" he asked, indicating to the table, laid with some of the impromptu examples of Ayumi's cooking expertise. It looked like a romantic dinner event straight out from a game. There were even candles. "I didn't miss our anniversary or something, did I?" he asked.

"Nope" Ayumi calmed him down.

"Then why?"

"I guess I just wanted to do something for you, darling. I'm your wife, after all" she told him and he had to hand it over to her – she really looked like she was a lovestruck seventeen-year old high school girl again.

Keima opened his mouth to speak, but a soft crying from his arms stopped him again. And he sighed.

"It seems Yumi doesn't like when you draw my attention from her" he said. "Again."

"Well, I'm still all sweaty from the running, so how about this?" Ayumi leaned closer to him. "You'll get Yumiko to sleep and I'll go take a shower. Then we'll eat dinner and then we can get sweaty together... if you catch my drift..." she smiled slyly at him.

Keima did catch her drift.

Soon Ayumi was in the bathroom and took off her running clothes, the very ones Kusunoki had given to her on her eighteen birthday years ago. She then took a moment to watch herself in the mirror.

Visually speaking, Ayumi didn't change much over those few years as well. Her hair was still the same, except she rarely used hairbands now. Her face changed somewhat and she was under the impression that it became a tiny bit rounder, but that might be just her.

And it seemed that with her married life in full swing she and her breasts had finally reached an understanding of sorts... at least until Ayumi got pregnant at which point her breasts seemingly said "screw it, we're growing again and you can't stop us!" while Ayumi could do nothing, but watch her bust size approach and go slightly beyond the mark of 90.

Keima didn't seem to mind though.

And Yumiko just kept on suckling like a hungry baby she was.

Ayumi shook her head. She shouldn't be worrying about such things anymore. She walked into the shower and turned it on, letting the water wash away her tiredness and worries. Soon she returned to her good giddy mood. She was looking forward to the rest of the evening, she thought as she smiled.

And come to think of it, on those birthday years ago Kusunoki wasn't the only Kasuga sister who bought her clothes.

And, looking back on it, she _was_ thankful for Hinoki's gift.

(* * *)

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, months into years and years continued to pass. The clock of life continued to tick steadily, measuring the time from when it was wound up till it stopped.

Even if Ayumi remembered it, she wouldn't be able to say how it started. It was similar to falling asleep. You're lying in your bed, thinking of something or of nothing at all. It doesn't matter if your mind is blank or is it buzzing with activity. One moment you're just lying there and the next you're already sleeping, unaware that you've fallen asleep. But the mind doesn't shut off and the world doesn't exactly disappear. It simply changes, turning from the everyday reality into a surreal world of dreams.

What Ayumi felt right now was similar to that. And, as with regular dreams, she didn't question how she get here or what she was doing. No, such things didn't even pass through her mind. And even if they did, so what? She was never good at too much thinking and sometimes it caused more harm than good. Keima was better at thinking anyway. So she just continued going through this dream, not knowing why she was here. Actually, she wasn't even aware she was here, her mind going on autopilot. She didn't even notice she was running. Furthermore, it was literally years since she had ran at such speed. And she never remembered running for so long without getting tired.

She didn't notice she was wearing her high school uniform or that she looked like she was seventeen again. And she ran fast. But even with that speed her consciousness finally caught up with her.

Her reaction was instantaneous and she stopped immediately. This should've surprised her – she was never able to stop like this without the help of some pillar or an unlucky passer-by – but it didn't. She was concerned with something else.

 _Wait, I don't want to disappear, I don't want to forget!_

That thought repeated in her mind like a mantra. Ayumi tried to move somewhere, anywhere. But she couldn't. She couldn't move and she couldn't see. But her consciousness didn't fade. She was still aware of her existence. She couldn't move, but she knew she was here. And not just was – she was lying on something.

And she couldn't see, but she certainly could hear something. It could've been a voice, but Ayumi couldn't tell. It was quiet, dulled, muffled, as if coming from beyond the boundary of the world. But it sounded familiar. And finally she recognized it.

It was her name. Someone was calling her name. Someone was calling her. Ayumi wanted to respond to that call. So she tried to sit up.

And, to her surprise, it worked.

Her vision suddenly brightened and she squinted her newly discovered eyes, to protect them from the onslaught of light.

"Easy girl, easy!" a voice literally rang in her brain, making her queasy. She felt two pairs of hands grabbing her and forcing her to lie down. Ayumi didn't want to lie down, but she wasn't strong enough yet to resist, so she settled for half-sitting, her back leaning of what she thought was a pillow.

Her vision was still blurry at most, but then various colorful blotches were replaced by one big blotch.

"Ayumi?" the blotch, apparently a person, asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Can you hear me?" maybe it was the voice or maybe Ayumi's eyes were getting better, because she recognized who was talking to her.

"C-Chihiro?" she asked, stuttering a little.

"She recognized me!" Chihiro-blotch replied loudly. Ayumi frowned. Who was the girl talking to? Her question was answered when more blurry shapes invaded her vision. And those looked similar to Yui, Tsukiyo and Shiori.

"Ayumi-san..." the Shiori-blotch whispered.

"Thanks goodness" the smallest blotch said.

"How do you feel, girl?" Yui asked, moving her arms so fast that her contours blended with the surroundings.

"Hey, hey! Not all at once! And not so loud!" another voice chided. Ayumi must've been still not fully awake as the voice seemed as it was coming from the ceiling. "Calm down and give her a moment!"

Ayumi stayed still for a few seconds and soon her vision cleared and she finally realized where she was.

"Is it the school's infirmary?" she asked, her voice raspy, and she received several nods. "Why am I here?"

"You don't remember?" Tsukiyo asked. "You ran out of our meeting with the orb and..."

"Oh! That's right. I did that" Ayumi agreed, hiding her head in her hands.

"Wait" Chihiro started. "So you remember?"

"Yeah" Ayumi replied.

"How much do you remember?"

"I remember talking about... things... Vulcan-san showing as how this works and... wait" she realized something before turning back to Chihiro. "What are _you_ doing here and how do _you_ know about this?" Ayumi asked surprised.

"Because I told her" a voice from above answered. Ayumi looked up and blinked in surprise. Vulcan, or more precisely Luna, was floating near the ceiling. So that voice was not her going insane.

"Okay, slow down" Ayumi said. "You still didn't tell me _why_ I am here."

"You went to Keima Katsuragi's house" Vulcan said.

Ayumi thought about it for a second and then nodded. She did that.

"And made him touch the orb."

"Yeah..." and then she realized what all the fuss was about. "Y-you mean I got sick or something?"

"Not exactly" the floating doll responded. "You consciousness have been phased exploiting a joint in time-space continuum, induced by your mind and enhanced by magic and-"

"You and Keima-kun were knocked out instantly and you have been sleeping since then!" Yui summed up, making the goddess glare at her. "Or so I've been told, because I didn't see it myself – after Mars collided with Eri we both tumbled down the hallway."

"H-how long?" Ayumi asked, a little afraid to learn the answer. "How long was I asleep?"

"Almost a full day" Vulcan replied.

"What!?" Ayumi hollered back. "You mean I slept for 12 hours!?"

"No... I mean you slept for almost 24 hours" the goddess corrected her and Ayumi jaw hit her lap. "And keep your voice down. Minerva cast a barrier, so the school nurse doesn't even know we're here, but you shouldn't be screaming like that."

"Then what are all you doing here?" Ayumi asked, turning to Chihiro, Tsukiyo, Shiori and Yui.

"We were worried about you" Chihiro said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "But we couldn't be here during the night or during school."

"Wait!" Ayumi cut her off. "My parents! They must be worried sick!"

"Don't worry. We took care of them" Vulcan explained. "They won't remember you missing for a day."

Ayumi calmed down at that. And then she realized something.

"Where's Katsuragi?" she asked.

The mention of Keima made all of the girls, except Vulcan, tense slightly. Yui was the one to reply.

"He's in his house. Eri and Tenri are looking over him, but he apparently hasn't woken yet" the drummer explained, before her voice turned whiny. "And I wasn't allowed to help and warm up Keima-kun in his be-mmmphh!" she didn't finish as a duct tape lying on the bedside table suddenly rose into the air by itself, unrolled and hurled though the air, landing on Yui's mouth, effectively shutting her up.

None of the remaining girls commented on that.

"So that's why Tenri isn't here" Ayumi concluded. "And I guess Kanon-chan couldn't come here because of work."

"Actually, I'm here" Ayumi almost jumped and turned only to see the idol sitting there as well, a relieved expression on her face. "I was worried about you" Kanon said, which made Ayumi blush in embarrassment.

"Ayumi" the girl turned again, this time to face Chihiro. "Have are you feeling?"

The runner thought about that question for a moment "Fine" she replied finally. "Why?"

Chihiro tossed a glance at Vulcan and the doll nodded back. Chihiro then turned back to Ayumi with a smile.

A terrific smile.

"It seems our patient here is well-enough for an interrogation... so... WHY HAVE YOU DONE THAT!?" the band leader roared, making Ayumi crawl back, closer to the headboard in a failed attempt to get away from her best friend.

"Not so loud!" Vulcan reminded her, but Chihiro didn't seem to hear that. The other hosts were looking away, suddenly interested in various walls and furniture, while Chihiro continued undisturbed.

"What have you been thinking!?" she asked and only now Ayumi realized something. The reason she darted out of that meeting was because she thought she could have Keima without hurting Chihiro. But now she understood that being out for a whole day must've really worried the other girl. Her best friend was right. Just what has she been thinking?

"I'm really angry with you, you know? I was worried sick!" Chihiro went on, looking similar to Ayumi's mom. "You didn't know what it would do to you! And you still did it! And why? Because you believed this doll that it would solve something?!"

"Hold on right now!" Chihiro might've been angry and her voice might've been loud, but the authority she commanded was nothing compared to Vulcan's, even when the goddess was talking quietly. "What do you mean by that? All of this worked as expected and Takahara-san's life and health weren't in any danger during the process!"

"Like hell I'll believe that!" Chihiro said. "And what do you mean 'worked as expected'?" the vocalist pointed at Ayumi. "If it worked then that means Ayumi's suddenly waaaay ahead compared to the rest of... us. Even ahead of me!" if Vulcan was thinking that her glare would make Chihiro slow down then she was wrong. "And now Katsuragi will be in love with her!"

"Katsuragi won't remember anything that happened" Vulcan replied calmly.

"T-that's right" Shiori said in a small voice, making Chihiro jump a little, as if she forget the bookworm was here. "V-Vulcan-san said that Katsuragi-kun's memories will be restored once h-he's back."

"Memories are one things, feelings are another!"

"Don't worry, Katsuragi won't be in love with Takahara-san when he wakes up" Vulcan said, still fairly calm, making Tsukiyo sweatdrop. Her goddess being this calm was a very bad sign...

"But he hasn't woken up!" Chihiro said and Ayumi suddenly realized why the girl was _so_ angry. And Ayumi suddenly felt sick. What if Keima... won't wake up? It's my fault, she thought. Not Chihiro's, nor Vulcan's. It was all her fault.

"Calm down!" Vulcan said, a little louder than before. "Katsuragi will wake up... actually I just received a message from Diana" she stopped, showing them a bunch of mystic letters of light dancing a few inches above her open palm. Of course, the letters didn't explain anything. "It seem Katsuragi has woken up at the same time as Ayumi" the goddess replied. "Now, if I were you I would be worried about my little love-struck sister getting _too_ happy now that he's woken up."

A thought of Diana hugging Keima flashed through all the girls' minds, but most of them dismissed it – Keima would probably freak out and push Diana away and she would just slap him in return. Besides, it's not like Diana would jump at him, right?

Anyway, Vulcan's words seemed to relax everyone, Ayumi included. Even Chihiro calmed down some. But only some.

"Okay, let's say Katsuragi is fine and won't remember. But Ayumi does remember!" she accused, jealousy hidden well, but not that well.

"That's right" Vulcan replied turning to face the runner still sitting on the bed. "Takahara-san, you remember everything, so how about you share what you know with us? How it is to be Katsuragi's girlfriend? What kind of tricks did you learn to have him fall for you?"

Ayumi automatically opened her mouth to speak and all the girls tensed again – some in fear, some in anticipation. All of them waited. And waited.

And waited.

But Ayumi didn't say a single word.

"Well?" Tsukiyo asked, curiosity getting stronger than apprehension.

"I-I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Chihiro asked, seemingly puzzled for the first time today. "You've got to remember!" she said with more force than necessary before slowing down. "What you _do_ remember then?"

"W-well... I showed Katsuragi the orb, persuaded him to touch it. Then I remember Vulcan shouting at me. And then... I remember I was in this strange place. I was running... and then I heard someone calling for me and I woke up."

She was met with several pairs of eyes, blinking at her.

"You're joking, right?" Chihiro asked, but it was obvious she didn't think Ayumi was joking. "You mean to say that this... goddess made all of that, made all of us worried and did something dangerous and nothing changed in the end?" the band leader was half-shouting at all time.

"Do you truly think so?" all of them turned at that, eyeing the eldest goddess with a certain amount of fear. Vulcan being angry and commanding was normal. Vulcan being violent was normal as well. But right now Vulcan wasn't sounding angry or violent.

She was sounding _happy_. And excited.

"Do you really think that nothing has changed?" the goddess repeated and continued before Chihiro could retort. "Maybe we should ask Takahara-san. So tell us" Vulcan addressed Ayumi again. "How are you going to go for Katsuragi now?"

Ayumi was quiet for a moment, her eyes widening slowly.

"Go for him?" she asked as if slightly offended. "Why I would do that?"

Everyone looked at her with varying degrees of shock and confusion.

"I knew you weren't smart" Yui said, now rid of the duck tape restraining her. "But I didn't know it was _that_ bad!"

"Hey!" Ayumi half-rose from the bed. "I'm not an idiot, seriously!"

"Stop that!" Chihiro told the drummer, before appearing in front of Ayumi and grabbing her by her shoulders.

"Why would you do that?" Chihiro asked. "Because you love him! You weren't ready to move on, you can't fool me Ayu-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Ayumi pushed Chihiro away, looking kinda appalled. "It's not like I love him! Where did that come from?"

Yui was drinking from a bottle of water that she took from the bedside table when Ayumi said this and she ended up spraying the water onto Vulcan still floating in the air. The doll didn't react however and Yui didn't seem as if she noticed what she did either.

"Excuse me?" Tsukiyo uttered, barely polite.

"Could you say that one more time?" Kanon cleared her ears, certain that she misheard.

"I don't like Katsuragi!" Ayumi said, looking embarrassed, but it seemed there was a considerable amount of irritation as well.

For a moment no-one said anything and then...

"YES!" ignoring her own remarks about being quiet Vulcan floated up to the ceiling, raising her hand up in a display of victory. "Full success!"

"W-wait... what happened?" Tsukiyo asked, visibly disturbed at seeing her goddess make victory somersaults in the air. "What do you mean by 'success'"?

"It works!" Vulcan replied, explaining absolutely nothing. "Aside from Takahara-san taking the orb and running off prematurely this thing went off without a hitch!"

"Hold on... how is Ayumi pretending not to like Keima-kun a success?" Yui asked, confused. "Wait... you actually expected it to happen?"

"She's not pretending. She really doesn't like Katsuragi" Vulcan replied after she calmed down some. "And yes, I expected this to happen."

The girls looked at her with various levels of surprise, shock and disbelief. The only exception was Ayumi, who was looking more confused and interested.

"You didn't tell us anything like that" the runner noticed.

"I didn't?" Vulcan asked, floating down to Ayumi's level. "Well... maybe that's because YOU RAN OUT WITH THE ORB WITHOUT LETTING ME FINISH!"

"That is hardly surprising since it's Takahara-san" Tsukiyo said, walking in between the goddess and the runner. "Vulcan, can you calmly explain to us how does this orb thing _really_ work?"

"That was my original intention, until someone made a run for it" the goddess tossed a passing glance at Ayumi.

"Just the facts, please?" Tsukiyo looked at her goddess with a pleading expression.

"As you could see, both Katsuragi and the girl lose consciousness and are out for around a day. Maybe less, maybe more" the goddess said and everyone was listening to her every word. "And both of them need to touch the orb. For the girl it's obvious. For Katsuragi it's more about stabilizing the transfer. The realities are more... accepting when it's done that way. And some form of consent is needed when they activate the orb and when the final transfer happens."

"Consent?" Chihiro chimed in. "And why do you mean by 'final transfer'?"

"I mean the transfer of love" Vulcan said, narrowing her eyes at the girl for interrupting her. "As you can see Ayumi lost her feelings for Katsuragi."

"You meant you stole her feelings from her?"

"Me? Stole?" Vulcan now wore her serious dangerous expression. "I did no such thing. Actually, I didn't do anything. All of that was Takahara-san and Katsuragi."

"Go on, please" Yui said as she caught Chihiro in a wrestling hold and covered her mouth.

"It's not really complicated" Vulcan continued. "The game goes as I said – until the love runs out or the girl dies."

"Yes, I remember you saying something like that" Kanon confirmed. "So what didn't you tell us, umm... ma'am?"

"Well, when the girl accumulates enough love, that is if she becomes _really_ content with her life and accepts the orb world as her reality then she gives her consent for the transfer. Well, the consent on a subconscious level is sufficient" the goddess paused for a few seconds, but no-one said anything, so she continued. "If the consent was given, then at the end of the 'game' the transfer occurs. In short: all love is transferred from the Ayumi you know – sorry for the first name basis – and accepted by Ayumi from the orb."

"So Ayumi had her feelings stolen from her!" Chihiro replied angrily, now free of Yui's hold.

Vulcan sighed. "Talking about such things with you humans is tiring" she stated before speaking up. "Look, I already explained it to the other girls" she gestured to Tsukiyo, Shiori, Yui and Kanon. "Ayumi here and Ayumi from the orb are both Ayumi. Transfer from Ayumi to Ayumi is nothing unnatural. It's just like thinking 'I want to do that' and then changing your mind. Actually, Ayumi said it once herself – she decides what to do with her own feelings. And she decided she was satisfied. The orb just let her be satisfied without disrupting this reality."

"But Ayumi _isn't_ satisfied _now_!" Chihiro argued, but she was visibly losing her bark. "Can't you _see_ it?"

"Ironic... out of the two of us I am the one with poor sight, but you're the one who can't see it" Vulcan countered. "And if you don't believe me, then you can ask Ayumi herself."

Chihiro didn't argue, instead she appeared in front of Ayumi and got a hold of her again.

"Tell her" the band leader said. "Tell her you regret it and that it was wrong to do it!"

"I don't know if this was wrong" Ayumi replied as if she was actually bored with the conversation. "I don't remember any of it. Can I go home? Or do I need to stay in the infirmary forever?"

"No, as far as I'm concerned, you're free to go" Vulcan replied.

"But you do regret it right?" Chihiro didn't give up. "You lost your love!"

Ayumi gasped at that. Chihiro smiled a triumphant smile, but it faded away when Ayumi spoke.

"Wait... what about Mel?" Ayumi asked. "The goddesses get stronger with love, right?" before anyone could reply, she closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them a moment later.

"I can't hear her" she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I can't talk to Mercury!"

"Calm down" Vulcan said slowly.

"What if she got her power reduced to zero and she's to weak to do anything?"

"I said 'calm down'!" Vulcan hurled a pillow at Ayumi to bring her back to order. "Mercury didn't become weaker. Actually, it's the opposite – she reached her full power."

"Really?" Ayumi asked, as if the pillow strike a moment later didn't faze her at all. "Then why can't I talk to her?"

"Because she left your body" Vulcan replied and then added quickly when Ayumi widened her eyes. "But don't worry – she is probably just 'stretching her wings'. She can go back to you from time to time and inhabit you body again. Well, not that she needs to do so anymore. But I'm sure she'll be back."

"Oh..." Ayumi scratched the back of her head. "I hope she visits soon then. I miss her already."

"Okay, back to the topic" Chihiro was relentless. "Ayumi, what about your _feelings_? You regret losing your feelings for Katsuragi, right?"

"You know, I don't really get it... all of you are talking about my feelings for him" Ayumi replied tiredly. "I mean... did I even had those?"

"Of course you did!" Chihiro said. "Don't you remember him conquering you! His cheering and all?"

"Well... I do remember that... and I remember that I thought I liked him. But I don't remember the actual feeling. I don't remember liking him" Ayumi became flustered for a second. "I-I mean, I know that he helped me and that he's not that bad looking and all... but I don't want my boyfriend to be a gamer and all. Just no" she shook her head.

"Do you understand now?" Vulcan got close to Chihiro when the girl didn't say anything for a few seconds. "Ayumi doesn't regret it because she had her love fulfilled and doesn't need it anymore. For her it's as if she's never liked Katsuragi in the first place."

"So Ayumi won't fall in love with Keima-kun in the future?" Yui asked, voice curious.

"That's for her to decide as well" Vulcan replied. "She's still a normal girl, so she can fall in love with whoever she wants. You could say she let go of her guilt and regrets and is now free."

"That's not exactly easy to understand, but I think I got the gist of it" Tsukiyo said.

"It's simple math really" Vulcan remarked. "Ayumi had feelings for Katsuragi, but those feelings weren't reciprocated. Her love wasn't fulfilled and thus Ayumi was unhappy. We can call that as having 'half' love. Then we introduced the other Ayumi who had 'half' love as well. Then all love was transfered to the other Ayumi. Half plus half makes a full one, so the other Ayumi received a full, complete love and became happy, while 'our' Ayumi let go of all her love and is not unhappy. She's normal, free to pursue any future she desires from now on."

"Did you hear all of that, Ayumi?" Chihiro was talking to her best friend again. "Are you sure you're not regretting any of this?"

Ayumi thought for a longer while. She wasn't the one to think about things too deeply, but she wanted to do it right, for Chihiro's sake.

"Nope!" Ayumi responded with her usual cheerful smile and Chihiro immediately relaxed after seeing it. "No regrets at all!"

"So you're fine with what Katsuragi did to you in the past?"

"Well, he didn't have a choice and he did help me, so I don't mind his cheering, approaching me or-AAHH!" she suddenly shrieked, as if she realized something very important.

"W-what's wrong?" Chihiro asked.

"THE KISS!"

"Huh?" the girls all mumbled, confused.

"Katsuragi has kissed me!" Ayumi shouted.

"W-what about it?" Tsukiyo asked, while keeping Shiori's from fainting from the sheer volume of the runner's voice.

"What do you mean 'what about it'?" Ayumi asked back, now out of her bed and shaking Tsukiyo by her shoulders. "It was my first kiss!"

"Eh?" the moon-lover stuttered out weakly.

"Katsuragi took my first kiss!" Ayumi shouted as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "And the second too! I'm sooo going to kill him!" and then she ran out of the infirmary as if her life depended on it, her voice fading out and modulating funny in a perfect example of the Doppler effect.

"Hoo, look at her go" Vulcan was the first to react. "And she was all 'I'm not going to go after Katsuragi!' before I showed her the orb. And she didn't even thank me!" then she coughed. "Anyway, I think that's enough proof that my method worked. And by the way – the process affects Katsuragi as well, so any feelings he had for Takahara in the orb have been transferred to the other Katsuragi. Isn't that neat? What do you think, Kosaka-san?"

Chihiro didn't reply, her back turned to the rest of the girls, while she was looking in the direction of the infirmary door, the screen separating them from the rest of the room still flapping because of the wind Ayumi created.

"Umm... Chihiro-san?" Kanon asked worried, but the girl in question only raised her hand stiffly, indicating for everyone to stay quiet.

Five seconds passed.

Ten seconds passed.

Twenty seconds passed.

By now Kanon was looking really worried and Shiori felt like fainting because of pure tension. Even Tsukiyo and Yui lost her usual calmness and cheerfulness.

And then Chihiro made a sound. A weird sound.

"Vulcan...-san?" she asked, her voice unreadable.

"Yes?" the goddess, the only person in the room still calm, said.

"Are you really really certain that this... thing is safe?"

"Absolutely" Vulcan replied.

Chihiro was quiet for a moment before making that weird sound again a few times in succession. Kanon and Tsukiyo looked at each other hesitantly. Both girls realized that this sound was in fact a chuckle.

"Sooo" Chihiro turned back to them, her face smiling, her general disposition that of a salesman or advertiser. "So which one of you fine ladies is going to try this next?"

If Chihiro expected a chorus of voices and the girls fighting over who gets to try next then she was disappointed.

"Umm..." Chihiro hesitated for a moment, trying to remember the names right. "Kujō-san?" yes, that was the name. "What about you?"

"Yes!" Vulcan replied before Chihiro finished speaking. "Tsukiyo! This is your chance! We should now-"

"No" Tsukiyo said, her face calm.

"H-huh?" Vulcan said surprised. "Why?"

"I'm not... ready yet... Besides, you didn't say that we will stop loving Keima if we do this" the petite girl replied, pointing an accusing finger at the floating doll. "And I haven't decided whether I want to do it or not" she then looked to the side, her face coloring red. "I'm fine waiting a little longer anyway."

"Shiomiya-san?" Chihiro looked to the librarian.

Shiori jumped slightly and walked backwards, her head shaking in disagreement. She wasn't ready as well! I mean, she was not an idol, she wasn't as outspoken, brave and determined as the others! And she needed a plan first! That's why she asked Vulcan-san how long would it take to prepare the orb back then in the first place!

Of course, Chihiro didn't hear any of this inner monologue, but she understood that Shiori wasn't going to do it, so she turned to the next girl.

"You must be dying to try to do to it, right?" she turned to Yui. To her surprise, however, the drummer didn't start nodding her head and jumping in pure joy.

"Yui?"

"I think I'll pass for now" the mannish girl replied, before smiling in her usual way. "But you ladies can do it anytime you want! Go ahead!"

"You both just want to get rid of the competition, don't you?" Tsukiyo said quiet enough so neither Chihiro nor Yui would hear her.

"Umm... Kanon-chan?" Chihiro turned to the last girl. The idol never thought that Chihiro Kosaka, the girl who was pretty much the fall of _god_ , was practically begging her to go for her crush. In a way.

Kanon fidgeted. Now that she knew that her love for Keima would disappear if she did this, she wasn't so sure as well. On the other side... her schedule as an idol was pretty tight. She wasn't even supposed to be here right now. She didn't have the time to go after Keima, so her chances of ever getting together with him were slim to none. Compared to this the orb _was_ tempting. Besides, she already decided to move on after Keima got back from his time travel. Wouldn't stopping loving him actually help her achieve that resolution of hers?

"All right" she said slowly, making the rest of the girls perk up. "I'll do it. When can you prepare the next orb, Vulcan-san?"

"Are you sure?" surprisingly both the goddess and Chihiro asked at the same time.

"Y-yeah" Kanon replied, the color of her face matching that of her hair. "Besides... Ayumi-san was Keima-kun's first... conquest and she went first, so it's only natural I go after her."

"No it's not!" a new voice interrupted, startling all the people gathered around the bed.

"W-what? Who's there?" Tsukiyo asked, looking only a bit less scared than Shiori.

In response, the screen that was separating them from the other bed in the infirmary moved, the rustling being the only sound as the other girls held their breaths. Finally, the curtain slid all the way, revealing the other bed. And on top of it sitting with her arms crossed over her chest was...

"Mio!" Yui said enthusiastically. "Oh, man, you shouldn't do things like this, girl! You almost gave us a heart attack!"

And indeed – Mio Aoyama was sitting on the bed with her blonde hair, haughty expression and knee-length boots.

"Hmpf! It's your fault for not noticing!" she replied. "By the way, letting a human sneak up on you, some goddesses you are."

"Why you!" Vulcan growled, before coughing. "Minerva was the one making the barrier! It's her fault!"

"N-no fair!" Shiori jumped in place and looked down only to see the corporeal form of her goddess talk while hiding behind her librarian host. "Y-you just told me to make a soundproof space with an illusion" Minerva explained in her small voice.

"And you didn't sense her enter the barrier?!"

"S-she must've been already here when I cast the spell..."

If Vulcan could raise Luna's eyebrow then she would do so.

"She was here all the way?" she asked, before floating closer to Mio. "Is that true?"

"Yes" the former rich girl replied, jumping out of the other bed.

"How did you know we were here?"

Mio rolled her eyes.

"I was following Yui when she headed for your little meeting yesterday and I learned about your little scheme" she remarked tossing a dirty glance at the goddess, as if trying to scold her from doing things so secretive. "That wasn't nice, playing like that by yourselves."

"You were stalking me?" Yui asked, completely ignoring the rest of the other girls accusation. "Mio, my dear, you should know that I don't swing that-URK!"

"Not stalking! Following!" the young Aoyama responded while stomping on Yui's feet, making the other girl yelp in pain. "And stop saying weird stuff like that!"

"Okay, calm down" Vulcan said using her telekinesis to forcefully separate two assertive girls. "What is your purpose here?"

"If we're talking about going in order then that means now is my turn, right?" Mio answered as soon as she was back on her feet and while casting another scolding look at Vulcan.

Chihiro had to admit – this girl had guts.

"Umm... yeah, if you say it like that then it's true" Kanon replied hesitantly, before smiling gently. "Okay, that's fine with me. Good luck then, I guess."

Mio nodded in gratitude, silently acknowledging that the idol wasn't some ordinary commoner and certainly not someone she could just beat into submission with her words and attitude.

"So you weren't honest back then" Tsukiyo stated, not asked, making Mio look at her.

"Back when?" the pig-tailed blonde demanded.

"Back at the railway station" Tsukiyo clarified. "You said you weren't interested in Keima."

"Wha? That's because I'm not!" Mio responded, the volume of her voice surpassing even Vulcan's, but no-one was surprised.

"Yeah, right" Chihiro said. "I remember you blushing back then. And you're blushing now."

"That's because you're embarrassing me!"

"And what reason is there to be embarrassed?" Tsukiyo asked. "Aside from your feelings?"

"How about you people insinuating things!" Mio accused.

"So if you don't have feelings for Keima then why do you want the orb?" Tsukiyo didn't yield.

"Simple" Mio smiled as if she was explaining something trivial. "I want to get back at him."

"G-get back at him?" Shiori asked quietly.

"Yeah" the blonde confirmed. "This orb thingy will stay active for a while even without love, right? And no matter what I do to Katsuragi, he will be unhurt in the real world, right?"

"Well, he won't be hurt once the process ends" Vulcan said. "But he _will_ be hurt in the orb. The world the orb forces to create is still _real_ , you know?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, still, like I said, my only agenda is-" Mio stopped when she felt a hand land gently on her shoulder. She turned around to see Kanon, a soft look on the idol's face.

"You shouldn't do that, Aoyama-san" Kanon said slowly.

"Well, inside the orb it's _my_ own world so I can do whatever damn well I please!" Mio retorted.

"That's not what I meant" the idol replied, the expression on her face turning... compassionate? "I mean that you shouldn't lie to other people. And you shouldn't lie to yourself."

"W-what?" Mio stepped back from the idol, but by doing so she got closer to Tsukiyo.

"You do like Keima after all, don't you?" the moon-lover said gently as well.

"No, I do not like him! ARGH!" Mio grabbed her head in frustration. "Enough of this! You!" she pointed at Vulcan. "Just get this thing ready! Once you do let me know!"

"Do NOT order me around, human!" Vulcan replied in anger, but Mio was already out of the room. "Wait! Wait! Get back here your lowly human!" and with that Vulcan was out of the room as well.

Tsukiyo facepalmed. This turned into a mess. On the other hand, it could've ended much more... ugly.

"Then... I guess that concludes the meeting" Chihiro said after a few seconds of silence. "Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to Katsuragi's house. Maybe I'll still get to see Ayumi beating the crap out of him!"

"That's not good, Keima-kun didn't do anything wrong!" Kanon objected.

"Well, if Takahara-san wants to beat him then there's nothing we can do about it" Tsukiyo shrugged, moving out to leave as well.

"…" Shiori was torn between saying something to protect Keima and staying quiet.

Finally all of the girls left the infirmary and went their separate ways, planning to finally enjoy the Wednesday afternoon.

(* * *)

Keima wasn't having the best of days. First, he woke up in his bed, despite the fact that it was clearly afternoon. Then he had Eri jump at him spitting some gibberish like 'Nii-sama, you're back!". Keima quickly managed to detach his sister from him. It wasn't hard – he was aware of her methods of displaying affection and knew how to deal with her. He had much experience in this regard, after all.

However, as soon as he got rid of Eri, Diana appeared out of nowhere and hugged him tight.

And he had next to none experience dealing with _that_.

"Katsuragi-san!" the goddess mewled, a smile on her face and seeds of tears in her eyes, while squeezing him harder and accidentally snuggling him.

Please, let it be accidental.

"We were so worried!" the goddess said.

"Diana!" he hollered, his voice a little too high for his liking. "Get off me!"

It took a good minute before Diana realized what she was doing and backed away with her face red. But she still didn't slap him. Actually, she looked as if she wanted to slap herself.

Keima was desperately trying to make some sense out of it, but here came the second thing – for the life of him he couldn't get any sensible info out of them. I mean, he quickly learned from Eri that it was Wednesday... while it was supposed to be Tuesday. But Eri didn't know anything else, Diana refused to say anything, half-panicked and half-embarrassed. And she refused to let him talk to Tenri.

And when he made Diana angry with his questions, finally achieving some sort of normality from her, the third thing happened.

He heard something like stomps and then the door to his room opened quickly. Like, one instant they were closed and the next they were already wide open. Keima, Eri and Diana turned their heads, but before they could figure anything out...

"Katsuragi!"

"A-Ayumi?" Keima managed to stammer before the girl in question, grabbed the front of his shirt.

"Wha-" he started, but was interrupted bu Ayumi's demand.

"Give it back!"

"Huh?" he croaked out, wondering when was the last time he had seen her angry like that. "Give back what?"

"My innocence!" she said, shaking him. "Give it back!"

"Y-your what?"

"You kissed me!" she said, explaining absolutely nothing. "It was my first kiss! Give it back!"

"Where did that come from? And how I am supposed to do _that_?" Keima tried, but to no avail – Ayumi still continued to be ridiculous. Actually, she didn't even look _that_ angry. She seemed more panicked than mad. And she looked embarrassed, but not in a way he remembered. She seemed kinda... neutral. Angry, but neutral. For some reason it was as if they were back to the time just before her conquest.

What the heck was going on?

Curiously, that was the very question that appeared in Eri's mind as well. The girl continued to watch Ayumi trying to get Keima to give her whatever she wanted to get.

"I see" the former devil looked to her side, only to see Diana with a pensive look on her face. "So it's just as Vulcan-nee-sama said" the genius goddess continued, before conjuring some shining parchment with heavenly symbols on it out of thin air. "Interesting..."

"Interesting? What's interesting?" Eri whined. How come no-one told telling her anything? She wanted to know toooo!

"Let's just say that my dear sister achieved what she wanted to achieve" Diana replied mysteriously and then headed to the exit of the room. When she was by the door she turned back to look at the female Katsuragi.

"Eri-san" the goddess started. "Please make sure Takahara-san doesn't go too wild" she pointed at the runner getting more and more frustrated by her failure to coerce Keima into doing what she wanted him to do. "And please let Katsuragi-san take time playing his games – it's best he uses all the respite he can in between taking his responsibility."

"Responsibility?" Eri asked. " What responsibility?"

"Let's just say that that the God of Conquest is going to do a lot of conquering soon" and with that the goddess left, leaving Eri completely and utterly confused.

 **(* * *)**

 **Ta-dah! That's officially the ending of The World Ayumi Only Knows, otherwise known as AyumiNomi...**

 **...anyway, I have a LOT of things to cover in these author's notes, so stay with me for a little more.**

 **Before all else, I would like to apologize. The girls going in order of their original conquests was decided rather early on. However, I had to somehow let the in-world characters decide on that order. And I had to do it before Mio was revealed to be in the infirmary all the way. Thus, the only logical solution I managed to think of was to decide that the next goddess host will go as second only for Mio to interfere and "cut in line"...**

 **...and that is why I have to apologize – because Kanon was that second goddess host and for a moment I made it seem like she'll be going second and it seems she has quite a number of fans. I want you all to know that it wasn't my intention to needlessly tease you with her...**

 **...but I can promise you that Kanon will be going as the third girl, so KanonNomi will appear after MioNomi. Just be patient with me.**

 **Ok, back to the main issue. As you've noticed by now, the girls will be going according to their order of coqnuest. The only exceptions are Chihiro (this should be obvious by now) and the girls I'm not sure I'm going to write stories for (currently this includes Jun, Hinoki, Nikaidō/Dokurō and Elsie/Eri).**

 **As for the reason of such order of girls, it seems logical – the girls that had to wait longer will go first. That doesn't mean that this is the best order (some would probably think that the hosts should go first). And it is also true, that Ayumi and Mio happen to be one of my favorites, but I assure you – I didn't chose this order because I wanted for my favorites to go first...**

 **...otherwise the order would be something like: Ayumi, Mio, Haqua, Tenri, Urara etc.**

 **Ayumi going as first was also VERY logical: a) she was the first heroine, b) she's a goddess host, c) she was guilty because of the love triangle with Chiihro, d) she's hot-blooded, making her running out with the orb believable.**

 **As for the general idea with the orb, what I showed you in this chapter was planned for a very long time in that exact way, except for some minute details. One such details is girls hesitating (at least for now) to use the orb – originally I didn't plan for that, but it seemed logical, so I put it here...**

 **...this also makes Mio going as the second girl quite convenient – she _claims_ she doesn't have feelings for Katsuragi anyway. Well, I'm but a commoner, but I beg to differ. :)**

 **By the way – this chapter was (almost) completed a few days earlier, but I had a lot of other things to do and I waited to prepare the first chapter of MioNomi before posting this one. The Mio chapter is not exactly ready when I'm writing this... but then again I'm writing this on Tuesday so... yeah.**

 **Back to the orb – I hope I have explained its function clearly enough. The orb allows the affection of the girl to bloom and complete in one reality (and the girl has the chance to experience it), while in her original reality the girl has her affection reset, thus the girl is not friend zoned and there is no upsetting the time-space continuum which could happen if Ayumi or Keima had her feelings/memories preserved.  
**

 **Of course, the purpose of the setting with the orb is for us, the readers (me including), to be able to watch girls having their chance with Keima. I could've made each story happen in its own universe, but I _really_ wanted a universe where all girls know about each other (I might need it somewhere in the future). This also makes it "easy" to start each story – the premise was already explained in KamiNomiNai, so I don't need to add a separate prologue each time.**

 **Anyway, I hope my idea is acceptable (even Chihiro approves... kinda), but I still would like to know your opinions on it.  
**

 **(* * *)**

 **Some general thought about this chapter. Originally Ayumi was only supposed to think about gifts from Kusunoki and Hinoki, but then I saw in the KamiNomi databook that her bust size increased from 84 to 88 during the story... so I decided to write something about that.**

 **I also had trouble with Tsukiyo using people names. Obviously she'll call Shiori by her given name, but would she use "Ayumi", "Ayumi-san" or "Takahara-san?" I had no idea. Similar goes for Vulcan, her using "Takahara-san" seemed a little too polite for her. And writting "Takahara-san" all the time was making the explanation** ** **confusing** , so I switched to "Ayumi" for a moment.  
**

 **And sorry, if I wrote Minerva's name as "Minevra" in this or previous chapters. I always have the reflex to go with the wrong version.  
**

 **References in this chapter are brought to you by Pirates of the caribbean: dead man's chest (2006) and the "One does not simply walk into mordor" meme. You could also say that Haqua and Keima are sponsoring the references as well ("Some goddess you are.")**

 **Furthermore, this is also the longest chapter in both AyumiNomi and KamiNomiNai – its number of words without the author's notes is over 9000! However, only 1500 words is the actual epilogue for AyumiNomi. The rest is preparation for the next story.  
**

 **And I also hope that the title for this chapter is as good as I wanted it to be. At least it's better than some of the titles of the other chapters.**

 **As for pokemakes – I don't have the time to write them now, but** **I didn't forget about them, so they'll appear somewhere along the way. We have enough chapters ahead of all to catc-... write 'em all.  
**

 **(* * *)**

 **The chapter itself is one thing, but now is the time to say something about this story as a whole.**

 **First, it certainly took a _while_. I mean, this story took 20 chapters, over 100 000 words and over half a frickin' year! That's waaay more than what I originally planned.**

 **Well, it's partially the fault of my "once per two weeks" update schedule and it's also true that this story is longer, because it was the first one (had to explain some things and all), but we can't really continue like this. Thus, the further stories will have to be shorter and updated more frequently. I want to reach a "three months per story" schedule (which is still really slow if you think about it). With 12 chapters per story and weekly updates it's possible. But it will be hard.  
**

 **Anyway, as you probably noticed I wanted to give Ayumi her closure and reference as many of the events from the manga as possible. I hope that I've succeeded and all Ayumi fans out there are satisfied. I certainly am. Well, it's not like there are no Ayumi fics on this site, but I still hope I did the Mai High Unguided Missile justice.  
**

 **And with this we have reached the part where I would like to thank all of you who have viewed, followed, favorited and reviewed this story. I mean, this story got similar number of favs and follows compared to KamiNomiNai, but it got considerably more reviews despite being posted considerably later.  
**

 **Thus, I really want to thank all of you... except I can't. I just can't thank you enough. Your support and comments have been keeping me running all this time. You did a wonderful job. It's great to know that there are this many KamiNomi fans out there who are happy to read stories like this.  
**

 **I would also like to thank the people that were helping me with their comments, ideas, support and continuous reviews. Specifically:**

 **ZelgadisGW, for his ideas, corrections and making my posting schedule possible. Thank you. And *moew* to you! :)**

 **Sir sleeps-a-lot: for our conversations about heroines and for her reviews. I hope you find the time to write and update your stories.  
**

 **Shawn Raven: for the frequent and detailed reviews.**

 **Gonzalorp94: for his frequent reviews and support for this story.**

 **I would also like to thank DPSS, Skullcandyklive, Hikigaya, Ryuumaru Kara, Iutach, Refraction of Light and all others who reviewed this story more than once. It was really motivating to see your reviews. You guys are wonderful.  
**

 **I hope you'll continue to read my further sequel stories, even if they'll be telling the stories of less popular girls.**

 **Of course you're encouraged to leave me a review and tell me how you feel about this chapter and the story as a whole. As for the replies, I'll try to either post them here after some time or I'll post them in MioNomi.**

 **One thing I forgot to mention. ZelgadisGW was nice enough to draw a fanart depicting one of the scenes in this chapter. The link is: http:(s)(s) .com(s)art(s)How-is-my-little-goddess-610959948. Just replace all (s) with /.  
**

 **This concludes this author's notes. The first chapter of the next story in the series – The World Mio Only Knows – will be posted shortly. Tomorrow if we're lucky.**

 **That's all for today. Have a nice day and see you next time!**

 **—Xellos540**

 **(* * *)**

 **As promised, below are the replies to the reviews sent after the last chapter was posted:**

 **Gonzalorp94:** Well, I would be lying if I said I didn't feel a bit down as well. I wish I could've continue this story and write more about Ayumi's life with Keima. Maybe I will write about it someday. Reconquering is technically possible, but extremely unlikely. Girls keeping onto their memories of a lifetime with Keima would upset the story. I personally think a teenager girl in love would go crazy with memories like that. And harem is tempting. I should write about it someday.

 **UndyingSoul98:** It's not like I don't know where are you coming from. I wish this could be less bitter-sweet, but, unfortunately, I'm not a miracle worker. I work with what I have and I try to stick to the canon version of the story to boot. I don't want to explain the same thing again, but I don't think Ayumi's feelings were just "shoved under the rug and burnt" – they were nurtured and blossomed and Ayumi decided how and when. As for the next part – Ayumi keeping her memories, then I explained that before as well. I feel really uncomfortable with Ayumi retaining her memories and then going to date some other guy in the future, while remembering having _kids_ with Keima. And, of course, with my solution Ayumi is still free to interact with Keima in the future. All-in-all I wish there was another way as well. But I'm not perfect. All I can say is quote Keima: "imperfection is the ideal". And as for the inspiration thing: if you worried about me being able to write all the stories then help by supporting me. I'm more afraid of the fandom dying out than of me losing inspiration. I can imagine myself getting less free time and writing slower, but not abandoning this project, unless there will be no readers. I should learn to write shorter stories though... Anyway, thank you for your comment.

 **Sound Dash E.V:** Thank you. I'm glad I managed to surprise you. :) As for Keima going back to his former life... I wouldn't be so sure about that. :) And, as you probably already noticed, my view on Mio is different than Ryuumaru Kara's (the author of "Last Dance"). Well, "WGOK: What Happened Next" seems more harem-oriented (although I don't know what ending KodakaRedfox has in mind), but some similarities are obvious, so your opinion doesn't surprise me. Anyway, I hope you'll contniue to read my stories.

 **Nobodyreallyimportant:** Thank you. It's good to know Mio has her fans as well. I hope you'll enjoy MioNomi. :)

 **Sir sleeps-a-lot:** I'm flattered by you grade of my story. Thank you very much. :) As far as progress goes... you're stories are fairly advanced and there are only a few of them. And "Damn that guy!" is a series of one-shots, so it's kinda completed anyway. So overall, your progress might be much more than mine. :)

 **Sol D. Mars:** Thank you, I'm glad you liked it. Have fun reading my next stories! ;)

 **ZelgadisGW:** You want to draw it? Be my guest. ;) Your words are kinda summing up my solution: "not perfect, but fair". I just hope this is enough. Anyway, thank you, I'll be sure to discuss with you future chapters as I develop them. And you're welcome. Nyan! ;)

 **Iutach:** First of all, thank you. :) And I don't think it was Ayumi's breasts that stopped her from running. Actually, I never wrote she wasn't running. When she runs prior to waking up, it's because her life in the other reality already ended. She might've died as an old granny, so it's obvious "she hasn't been running in years". As for your question, the basic answer would be "Ayumi returned when her other self died". I mean that Ayumi lived her life in the other world till the end. However, as you noticed, "now" doesn't really makes sense when talking about two separated realities. The moment Ayumi got back the other reality stopped existing from her point of view.

 **Shawn Raven:** Oh boy... here it goes :P. Well, I'm kinda glad the real purpose of the orb was a surprise to you. :) The only thing you've got wrong is "when girl feels content... bam! she's awake". The "bam" part doesn't happen immediately after girl is "content". It's just sets the transfer in the future. And you said "only one of 'you' achieves the ending 'you' desired". Well, Ayumi did achieve the ending she desired... she just didn't remember achieving it. And the desire disappears after it's fulfilled, so I'm not sure that' a "pretty price". As for the rest of your review... words are failing me again. All I can say is: thank you, thank you, thank you very much! It strengthens my motivation when reading your words. I hope you'll enjoy my future stories.

 **NotAnAuthor504:** Thank you. I hope you'll continue to enjoy reading MioNomi as it develops. :)

 **Maxwellhilary0308:** No problem. :) I'm glad you was surprised and you liked it. I'll try to make further stories good as well.

 **DPSS:** I have already replied to your review in MioNomi, so I'm not going to repeat myself. I wish I could think of a better way, but I didn't. And I'm sorry for that. I hope you'll continue reading my stories. And I thank you anyway.

 **DarkBladerZX:** Thank you and I'm flattered that you attempted to read my entire story in one day. :) I hope you'll enjoy MioNomi as well. :)

 **All right. That's it for the replies.**

 **With this I'm marking this story as complete.**

 **—Xellos540**


	21. Flag 37,5: Breaking the barrier

**Hello, everyone! I'm back!**

 **...though probably not where you expected me to be :P**

 **For those awaiting the next MioNomi chapter: it's not ready yet. Why? First, I was trying to do this little (3000 words) thing. Second, I had some work to do. Third, MioNomi is getting close to the ending, so I need to make sure that things click.**

 **I'd like to say me working on KanonNomi is the fourth reason... but I didn't even get to that.**

 **In short: if next MioNomi chapter comes out in a week then it'll be good.**

 **Anyway...**

 **As for those wondering "what's with this AyumiNomi update"? Well, there's a bit to talk about that, but we'll talk about it after the chapter, so no more dawdling.**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

 **(* * *)**

It was a warm, nice afternoon and Ayumi was jogging through the more secluded part of the park. Her running speed was low, at least for her standards – it was truly just a jog for her.

She stopped near a solitary bench and took several breaths, wiping her brow. The jog might've been slower that her regular racing pace, but it also lasted much longer than a regular race and Ayumi's stamina wasn't her strongest suit. Ayumi reached for the bag attached to her hip and retrieved small bottle from it before taking a few sips.

It was then when she heard the approach of tale-telling gasps. She turned and smiled lightly when she saw the figure walking up to her.

"You said *gasp* this was *gasp* supposed to get *gasp* easier with time" Keima said, clearly out of breath.

"It will" Ayumi told him, handing him her bottle, fully aware that Keima will drink it all. "But you have to first build up your stamina for that."

"I know" Keima sat down on the bench. "I just hope I won't die before that happens" he put the bottle to his lips.

"Of course not!" Ayumi tried to ignore the indirect kiss that was happening. "It's not like I'm trying to turn you into a runner or something… I just-"

"You just want me to take better care of my body, I know" Keima said, putting the bottle away and leaning back. "It's just that doing a single run when it's necessary is a lot easier than keeping myself in shape all the time" he finished, panting.

"Well, it's your fault for neglecting your body till now" she sat down next to him and thought for a moment before adding. "We can stop it if you-"

"I'm fine" he interrupted, leaning back and looking at into space, his eyes attentive. Ayumi followed his line of sight, but couldn't see anything worth noticing, so Keima was probably just thinking about something.

"Okay, that's enough of a rest" Ayumi clapped her hands to get Keima's attention. "How about we walk back?"

"Walk?" Keima asked, surprised. "Didn't you mean 'run'?"

"You don't look like you want to run back" she told him.

"I still have to do it" Keima straightened himself, looking as if he'd suddenly replenished his energy.

"Why?" Ayumi asked.

Keima looked at her funny. "What do you mean why?"

"Why do you insist on running?" Ayumi clarified.

"Isn't that the point?" he asked back.

"Yes, but I think you push yourself too hard!"

"Since when do you know the meaning of 'push yourself too hard'?" he teased.

"That's beside the point" she said before sighing. "Look, I know this was all my idea… but for now jog once or twice a week is enough."

"But you're running everyday" Keima noticed.

Ayumi fought the urge to roll her eyes. "But that's me! This is the fourth day in a row that you've run with me. You don't have to run every time I do. And you don't have to try and keep up with my pace… yeah, I noticed you're trying to" she added when he was opening his mouth to deny it.

They continued to look at each other with sharp gazes. On Ayumi's side, she wasn't trying to start an argument. She was just trying to get her point across and stop Keima from overexerting himself for no reason. Did she want him to get in a better shape? Yes. Did she want to tire him out and make his muscles ache the next day? No.

Keima's gaze however was… unexpected. It wasn't really hard, as if he was arguing. It was contemplative. As if he was considering something.

"Of course I don't _have_ to run with you everyday" he said finally. "Otherwise there would be no meaning in doing so."

"Meaning?" she repeated. "You mean other than training yourself?"

"Yes" he said. "First I wanted to accompany your during your exercises."

"I bet you did" Ayumi answered, leaning back and crossing her arms over her chest, eyes half-lidded. "I was running in front of you all this time, after all."

"I admit, I appreciated the view" he said and Ayumi blushed. She knew he didn't mean the landscape. "But that wasn't what I was referring to. And second reason, I wanted to take care of myself."

Ayumi raised her eyebrow. "And this is the most surprising of all this. I know you wanted to get more in touch with reality, but you're trying way too hard for this" she looked at him seriously. "Why are you suddenly so interested in your health?"

"Because you are" he told her simply.

"Huh?"

"You care about my health, so I do too" he wiped his forehead and took off his foggy glasses, sighing as if a great burden was lifted off him. "And what's with all the questions? Do you dislike me running with you or something?"

"No, of course I do!" she replied. "I'm really happy when you run with me-"

"Then you have nothing to complain about" Keima cut her off.

"I just don't get it" Ayumi said with a groan, looking at her knees as if expecting to find the answer there. "I get it that you've been becoming more serious, since you came back from the past. And that you wanted to make me happy ever since you asked me out, but…" she trailed off as she rubbed her knees. "But it still seems as if something's different and I don't know what."

"Ayumi."

She turned to face him and found the Keima was looking at her, a serious expression on his face, still without his glasses, his gaze holding hers.

It was quiet for a brief moment as if Keima was waiting for something. And then Ayumi felt a gust of wind blow past them, leaves dancing in the air.

And then Keima spoke.

"I love you."

For a moment the leaves continued to dance as Ayumi's brain both shut off and went into overdrive, making her speechless and pumping blood to her cheeks at the same time. She gasped, suddenly out of breath, as if she had just run a mile at her top speed and she clutched at her chest. It almost felt as if she had been shot, with a gun of love and straight through her maiden heart.

She wobbled a bit and almost fell into him, but Keima caught her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, brushing the messy strand of her hair out of the way, but her face was still hidden in shadow. "Ayumi?"

She raised her head at him and Keima saw the tears that streamed down her face, but he somehow realized this wasn't a bad sign.

"Keima" she said his name in a gentle tone he could only describe as angelic (how fitting for a goddess host), her face bathed orange by the setting sun, making her look ethereal, like a game heroine, but at the same time she looked, sounded, felt and even smelled unmistakably real.

"I love you too" she breathed before leaning onto him and pressing her lips to his. She put her hands over his neck and he wrapped his around her waist in return. After several moments of pure bliss they separated and smiled at each other before Ayumi nestled herself into his arms.

So finally, she mused as he stroked her hair, finally he had done what he hadn't been able to do back then at the rooftop of her house – he finally was able to confess honestly and properly.

He had finally broken the barrier. He had finally overcome that wall of a word.

"Thank you" her voice brought his attention back to her.

"You don't really have to thank me" he replied. "But you're welcome."

"So that's the reason you've been acting like that, huh?" she asked after a moment.

"You should know the answer to that" Keima told her.

"I do, but I want to hear you say it" she teased.

"Finee" Keima sighed, but Ayumi knew he didn't mind. "I've been acting like that because I love you."

"Aww" Ayumi cooed. Now that she was prepared for the confession she could handle it much better, although she still blushed. And she wasn't the only one – Keima's cheeks colored red too.

How cute!

For some reason she was feeling kind of giddy and wanted to tease him some more.

"Well, it's much more convincing than the countless phony attempts on the rooftop of my house" she said with a little more whiny voice to get his attention. "But how do I know that it's for real this time? You have confessed to all those other girls before, you know?"

"What 'all those other girls'?" Keima asked, his gaze becoming even more piercing without the glasses. "I have confessed to you. And Mio. And I've told Nora I love Tenri to fool her. I also indirectly confessed to Shiori. That's barely four girls."

"Barely?" Ayumi repeated, arms crossed over her chest. "You make it sound like it's totally normal to confess to multiple girls."

"And the girl I've been confessing to the most was you" Keima continued as if he didn't hear her speak, before starting to count with his fingers. "That time before the track and field meet. On the school rooftop after I gave you the letter and the apple, if you hadn't interrupted that one of course. That one when you were in the bath. Next at the rooftop of your house. And on the Akanemaru. Turtle stone by the Kozue river and the Inazumart can count as well. That's at least four separate confessions!"

"But all of them were fake!" Ayumi countered. "Besides, you were getting chummy and making passes on all of those girls! How do I know I'm the most important one in your life now?"

She was sounding way more jealous then she really was, but she felt like having Keima pamper her a little today. Who could blame her? He had just confessed to her – that's the best thing that happened to her in a long time (and some good things had been happening lately).

"But those were required for the conquests and..." he sighed before reaching out with his hand, grabbing hers and looking into her eyes.

"You are certainly first place in my heart" he told her, a gentle smile on his lips. "And I mean it this time."

Ayumi scrutinized him for a moment before smiling. "Good" she said simply, looking satisfied.

"That's it? You're not calling a foul this time? Bodily contact and all?" he gestured to their joined hands.

Ayumi shook her head. "Back then I called foul only because you tried to use the bodily contact to cover up your dishonesty" she looked around to make sure they were still alone before leaning into him more. "It's not like I dislike touching" she paused for a moment. "Do you?"

Of course, Ayumi knew the general answer. They had been doing a fair amount of touching, after all. But she wanted him to say it.

"Depends on the person… but I don't mind touching you" Keima admitted, his hands spinning his glasses. Was it a sign of embarrassment? And why didn't he put them on anyway? Was he afraid they were going to fog up again, Ayumi though as she chuckled.

Still, his answer was far from what she wanted to hear, but she knew it wasn't easy topic for Keima, especially considering his pride and long isolation from the real world. She didn't stop trying though.

"Is that it?" she asked, feigning disappointment. "C'mon, I know you can do better."

"Fine" Keima said, surprising her. "I love touching you, holding you and cuddling with you. I love kissing you and watching you run. I love hearing you laugh when you watch those comedy shows of yours. I love how you smell after you get out of the shower and-" at this Keima stopped, probably realizing he said a little more than he wanted to.

Ayumi said nothing, looking at him with wide eyes, blush clearly evident on her face. That was obviously more than she expected to hear.

"You love my smell?" she repeated, pretty certain that most of the time all he could smell on her was sweat. "You love watching me run?"

"Yes" he admitted, looking away, apparently angry with himself. "Didn't I say before that I appreciated the view?"

He did say so, but somehow this felt different. He had complimented her before, but those were usually more veiled, less direct and single comments. Not torrents of words like just know.

"You did" she admitted. "But you didn't say why."

"You know why."

"No, I don't" she leaned closer and discreetly blew at his neck and smirked when she saw him shiver a bit – one of the few tricks she had up her sleeve. "Please, tell me."

"You're a really charming, really beautiful and a really attractive girl" Keima said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He was playing absent-mindedly playing with glasses now, just like she'd fiddle with her pen during a test at school. however, that clear sign of embarrassment only spurred Ayumi on.

"What's attractive about me?" she dug deeper and grinned when she saw him squirm a little in embarrassment.

"All of your physical parameters are high-level" he said and when this didn't seem to work he continued. "You have a beautiful face, a nice smile, a nice body. I mean, the way your…hips move when you walk is alluring… and you certainly have killer legs" he finished, his face red as a tomato.

"That last thing" Ayumi picked on, narrowing her eyes. "Was it simply a perverted, but honest compliment or were you implying that I'm a wild animal whose kicks could kill?"

"Well, I can certainly vouch for the latter" Keima remarked.

"Jerk" Ayumi crossed her arms over her chest, but she wasn't really offended nor did she mean to offend him. It was true that his insensitivity and her reckless nature had resulted in them inflicting physical and psychical pain onto each other, but that was in the past. Now, all that remained were her playful punches, barely stronger than a tap or his snide remarks which were all but harmless.

"As for the former option" Keima continued, bringing her attention back to him. "I don't have my glasses on right now, so I can't see your legs that well" true, his glasses were still on the bench and Ayumi got the feeling he purposely didn't put them on yet. Furthermore, despite his glasses-free condition Keima was clearly gazing at the object of the discussion. "In this situation, I'm forced to rely on other forms of examination."

His reached out with his hand and tentatively, despite his bold words, placed it on her thigh just above her knee.

It wasn't as if Ayumi didn't like it or didn't trust him. When he wasn't a little insensitive or game-obsessed, Keima was quite the gentleman, but that didn't mean he didn't like the more physical parts of their relationship, as he had stated a minute ago. Actually, since that one time when he had tried to break up with her and she had to… hug some sense into him he was slowly getting used to bodily contact and now he was clearly enjoying the times when they were cuddling and he even seemed to grow bolder over time, somehow sensing when she was ready for that.

Ayumi was tempted to do some more cuddling right now, but she was still bubbly and on the roll, so she decided to tease him some more.

"Not so fast!" she said as she slapped his hand away, scowling at him, but Keima wasn't fooled. He leaned closer, hands reaching to keep her in place, but Ayumi was faster. She stood up, avoiding him gracefully and making him land head first onto the bench.

"If you want any further 'examination' then you'll have to catch me!" she stuck her tongue at him, as he rubbed his nose. "If you can that is!"

And she ran off at her race speed, completely and utterly certain he had no way to catch up to her.

"Ayumi!" she heard him call after her.

"What?" she turned over her shoulder, more than a safe distance from him.

"I love you."

Once again she was unprepared, making the phrase as effective as the first time he had said it.

"W-what?" Ayumi fumbled with her words, but it was far less dangerous than the fumbling of her legs when she tripped on absolutely nothing. It's as if he had lassoed her legs up. She saved herself from falling, but took a second to straighten herself, losing both time and speed.

For Keima it was more than enough.

To Ayumi's credit she didn't fall down immediately when Keima tackled her. She even tried to keep her balance and fight back, but in her current state it brought her more harm than good. She tripped again – this time over the curb separating the paved path from the lawn – resulting in the two of them landing in the grass, Keima on top of her.

"I caught you!" he said triumphantly.

"As if" she replied, preparing to roll over and free herself when Keima struck for the third time.

"I love you."

Ayumi made a sound between a groan and a moan, her head plopping back onto the grass as she stopped resisting.

"Did you mean it just now or are you just saying it to confuse me?" she asked, but mostly just to score at least one jibe. "Or is it third time's a charm?"

"Well, I just couldn't say it properly back then no matter how many times I tried" Keima said, his eyes locked with hers. "I guess I have a lot of failed attempts to make up for."

"You sure do" was all Ayumi managed to say before he captured her lips in a loving kiss. She certainly wasn't complaining. Except…

"We're in public" she reminded him as soon as they separated. It's not like she wanted to stop, but they should get home first.

"No-one's around" Keima replied matter-of-factly, nuzzling her neck.

"We're lying on the grass" Ayumi tried half-heartedly.

"So what?"

"You will get dirty."

"Don't care."

" _I_ will get dirty."

"You're wearing you magical running clothes, so it's fine" he told her. "Besides..." he leaned closer and whispered something into her ear.

It certainly wasn't a love confession this time, because soon after that the two of them were running again… only this time Keima was running in front with Ayumi hot on his heels.

And it wasn't a nice kind of hot.

 **(* * *)**

 **Well, truth be told I feel ashamed of myself. The reason is because this chapter is not supposed to be omake or bonus chapter. Or some filler I did while trying to write MioNomi.**

 **No, the reason is different.**

 **You may have noticed that I usually try to reference as much facts (or headcanons) from the manga as possible. And then I came to the point where Keima should finally get to love Ayumi. Not just fall in love, but love her. And confess. And I had problem with figuring out the details and placing them in the plot at that time. So I thought to myself "let's just assume the confession happened off-screen and let's reference it in the next chapter". No harm done doing it that way, right?**

 **Wrong!**

 **Only later, muuuch later, I suddenly realized and I was like "wait... there was wedding scene all right, but there was also the confession scene! The one where Keima was making fake confessions and all". This meant that Keima finally confessing for real would be a huge event! And I totally didn't reference that.**

 **I'm ashamed of myself.**

 ** **So it's not like I planned to make bonus "half" chapters chapter for every Nomi story (it's not impossible though)** and this here is merely my attempt at fixing the mistake... I just hope this little chapter here will let me find some kind of redemption...**

 **Anyway, this obviously takes place between "Full circle" (where Keima already realizes he likes Ayumi) and "Meet my boyfriend" (where he proposes) chapters. As for the setting, I don't really know if this takes place in Misaki Seaside Park (so in Maijima city still during highschool) or in one of Narusawa city parks (when Ayumi and Keima are already studying).**

 **One way or another, Keima had finally managed to get through the metaphorical barrier of the world and using the L-word out of the blue seems to a foolproof way to turn Ayumi into o puddle of goo... at least until he says something wrong... :P**

 **...or maybe he said something too right? xD**

 **Also I leave the thing Keima said in the end up to your imagination.**

 **One thing I'm not fully satisfied with this (aside from forgot-crucial-event fail of course) is that it has kind of mixed feel to it – it's trying to be romantic, funny, philosophical and a little bit of naughty (sorry, I couldn't help myself) at the same time. Maybe I got too far, but that's how I am – I always try to squeeze as many things as possible.**

 **Anyway, I as always I encourage you to leave me a review and tell me if you like this chapter or not, so don't be shy!**

 **One last thing: I added new poll to my profile (unfortunately, you can have only one at a time). The poll is about which goddess host you like the most.** ** **It's mostly for fun and curiosity's sake** and I encourage you to place your votes! I have more such polls in mind, but that's a topic for another time. :)**

 **See you later!**


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